Un divan à New York (1996)

Director:

Chantal Akerman

Writers:

Chantal Akerman (writer)
Jean-Louis Benoît (writer)

Release Date:

21 February 1996 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A Man... A Woman... A Dog... The perfect combination for romance...

Plot:

Dr. Henry Harriston is a successful psychoanalyst in New York City. When he is near a nervous breakdown...

Plot Keywords:

New York | France | Psychoanalyst | Bohemian | Transference

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Juliette Binoche	...	Beatrice Saulnier
William Hurt	...	Henry Harriston
Stephanie Buttle	...	Anne
Barbara Garrick	...	Lizbeth Honeywell
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Dennis
Richard Jenkins	...	Campton
Kent Broadhurst	...	Tim
Matthew Burton	...	Wood
Henry Bean	...	Stein
Bernard Breuse	...	Jerôme
Adam LeFevre	...	Restaurant Patron
Boris Leskin	...	Cab Driver #1
Tiffany Fraser	...	Julie (as Tiffany Frazer)
Wendy Way	...	Employee at Airport
Jerry Dean	...	Cab Driver #2

Also Known As:

A Couch in New York (USA)
A Couch in New York (Finland) (DVD title) [fi]
Det bor en fransk kvinna i min lägenhet (Sweden) [sv]
Eine Couch in New York (Germany) [de]
Ena divani sti Nea Yorki (Greece) [el]
New York'ta bir çilgin (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Pariisi, New York - vuoroin vieraissa (Finland) (video title) [fi]
Romance en Nueva York (Spain) [es]
Um Divã em Nova Iorque (Portugal) [pt]
Un divano a New York (Italy) [it]

MPAA:

Rated R for some language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Finland:S | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Germany:6 (w) | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Company:

Babelsberg Film

Enjoyable screwball comedy

In Couch in New York, the first American film by acclaimed Belgian director Chantal Akerman, Dr. Henry Harriston (William Hurt) is a dour New York psychoanalyst who is close to exhaustion. He decides to place an ad in the Paris Herald Tribune offering to swap his New York apartment for a month. Henry ends up in the digs of a free-spirited dancer from Paris, Beatrice Saulnier (Juliet Binoche) and she takes over his swank New York penthouse. Obviously well to do, Henry's apartment is spacious, impeccably furnished, and meticulously cared for, while hers is messy, bohemian, and funky.

In what Ms. Akerman describes as "what Hollywood calls a double fish out of water film", this film is something of a curiosity yet it's one of the best screwball romantic comedies I've seen. The premise is totally ludicrous of course and off the wall but that's what makes it so special. Of course, I'm particularly open to films that pop the bubble of the psychiatric establishment.

Apparently Henry forgets to tell his patients he is going away and they come knocking on Ms. Saulnier's door and calling for appointments, hardly even noticing the change in doctors. Being a sweet and sympathetic soul and not wanting to turn people away, she listens to their stories for an hour and they pay her money for her advice (illegally of course). She learns quickly that all analysts have to say is "yeees" or "hmmmm" or "what comes to mind now?" and get paid big bucks. Of course, patients have the right to remain silent and sometimes nothing comes to mind (they can sometimes spend an hour in total silence and must still pay for the privilege). Ms. Saulnier is an understanding person and a good listener and, in quite a slap at the "professionals", achieves more success with Henry's patients (not to mention his dog Edgar) in one week than he apparently has in years.

Beatrice decides to continue to pretend to be Dr. Harriston's assistant and studies up on her Freud. Meanwhile in Paris, Henry must contend with Beatrice's aggressive boy friends, messy rooms, leaky plumbing and the hammering of a roof being repaired. Fed up with the problems in Paris, he returns to New York to stay with an old friend in a down home part of Brooklyn. Conveniently for the plot, the good doctor stops off at his office and finds Beatrice playing psychoanalyst and his patients miraculously improved. Finding Ms. Saulnier intriguing and attractive, he goes along with her game, pretending to be her patient. This sets off a process of mutual discovery and self-awareness that is quite predictable but nonetheless amusing and enlightening.

This was my first Akerman film and while I realize it is totally unlike her others, I really loved it and found both leads to be superb. Binoche never looked more alluring and Hurt is terrific in his role as the deadpan doctor. I don't know who's crazy, the majority of critics who trashed it or me, but I know for sure one of us is ready for the couch. I won't say any more about Couch in New York except that while it does unfold its magic at a very leisurely pace, the rewards are there for the patient (no pun intended). Since the ending left me with such a warm, fuzzy feeling, I'm thinking of calling Ms. Binoche and.well.on second thought.