Personal Shopper Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "Personal Shopper," directed by Olivier Assayas and shot by director of photography Yorick Le Saux, is an impressively detailed and well-balanced visual experience. The transfer, created in 2K resolution on a Northlight film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative, ensures exceptional clarity and depth in both brightly lit and darker scenes. Supervised closely by Le Saux and approved by Assayas, the film is encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and presented in a 1080p resolution with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Colors appear vibrant and natural, reflecting the diverse and visually rich settings of the film, especially those involving the fashion world. Facial textures are rendered with remarkable clarity. The fully digital 5.1 surround audio, mastered from the original files using Pro Tools HD, complements the high visual standard, offering a crisp and immersive acoustic experience.

The Blu-ray transfer impressively handles darker footage, maintaining a balanced light representation that allows intricate nuances to be easily distinguished. The black levels are particularly noteworthy, displaying deep and inky tones that blend seamlessly with lighter elements, lending a richness to nighttime scenes. The overall image stability is excellent, with no noticeable artifacts or noise, which ensures that the clean and sharply defined visuals remain engaging throughout. The dimensionality of the scenes stands out, especially in sequences involving the film’s supernatural elements, where spacing and depth are used to great effect.

In summary, Criterion's Blu-ray release of "Personal Shopper" delivers a highly satisfying visual treat that showcases the modern filmmaking techniques employed by Assayas and Le Saux. The meticulously supervised color work by Lionel Kopp at Film Factory, Paris, further enhances the film's authentic look. With its high level of clarity and natural color reproduction, this Blu-ray presentation is a technical marvel that significantly enhances the viewing experience.

The Blu-ray release of "Personal Shopper" features a highly detailed and nuanced English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, with portions in French. Supervised by director of photography Yorick Le Saux and approved by director Olivier Assayas, the sound was mastered from the original digital audio files using Pro Tools HD, ensuring an accurate replication of the final mix as intended by the film’s creators. The mix highlights fantastic depth and clarity, providing an immersive auditory experience crucial for a film with intricate atmospheric elements. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are available and appear within the image frame when enabled.

The lossless 5.1 track effectively conveys the quiet, tense atmosphere critical to "Personal Shopper." The dynamics are spot-on, capturing the film's subtleties without any audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions. The soundtrack shines particularly during scenes where the protagonist, Maureen, encounters supernatural entities; these moments are enhanced by neat sound effects that add to the eerie atmosphere. While low-frequency effects are not a significant force in this film, the LFE channel has notable moments, particularly in the house sequence involving a supernatural presence.

The surround sound presentation is well-balanced across the front, center, and rear channels, allowing an engaging and cohesive auditory experience. Dialogue reproduction is crystal clear, ensuring that every line is heard distinctly. The restrained yet effective use of the surround channels manages to pull the viewer into Maureen's world without overwhelming the subtle narrative structure of the film. Overall, this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track does a fantastic job of maintaining the balance and integrity of the film’s sound design.

The Blu-ray release of "Personal Shopper" includes a thoughtful selection of extras that provide significant insights into the film's creation and thematic exploration. These interviews and materials, while not exhaustive, are informative and illuminate director Olivier Assayas’ creative process and the film's deeper messages. Key features include an in-depth interview with Assayas that covers his motivations and the thematic underpinnings of the film. Additionally, the Cannes Film Festival press conference offers candid discussions from the cast and crew, providing a blend of behind-the-scenes perspectives and spontaneous reflections. The inclusion of a critical essay by Glenn Kenny adds an analytical dimension, enriching the viewing experience beyond the screen.

Extras included in this disc:

• Olivier Assayas Interview: Director discusses film motivation and themes.
• 2016 Cannes Film Festival Press Conference: Insights from cast and crew.
• Theatrical Trailer: Original promotional trailer.
• Essay by Glenn Kenny: Critical analysis and insights in leaflet format.

Olivier Assayas's "Personal Shopper" is a haunting, introspective exploration of grief and the supernatural, anchored by Kristen Stewart’s compelling performance as Maureen, a fashion assistant and medium. Set against the backdrop of haute couture in Paris, the film intertwines Maureen’s professional role with her unwavering attempt to connect with her deceased twin brother, who shared her congenital heart condition and spiritual sensitivity. This psychological thriller leverages modern modes of communication, notably through cryptic text messages on Maureen’s iPhone, to evoke a chilling meditation on how we grapple with loss and the unknown.

Assayas masterfully creates an eerie atmosphere, balancing the glamorous yet superficial world of fashion with the ghostly, introspective journey Maureen undertakes. The film’s mise-en-scène is filled with striking visual compositions, from the Parisian boutiques to her deceased brother’s desolate home, enhancing the narrative's tension without veering into overtly horror territory. The choice to cast Stewart brings nuance; her aloofness fittingly portrays a character caught between tangible reality and spectral ambiguity. Despite some criticism that Stewart appears detached, this resonates with the character’s psychological entrapment.

Technically, "Personal Shopper" benefits from Assayas’s meticulous direction and a keen cinematic eye that captures both voyeuristic suspense and intimate drama. The narrative is interspersed with moments of profound ambiguity, leaving viewers to ponder the boundaries between life and death. The film’s structure, fortified by naturalistic performances and minimalist sound design, creates an engaging study of isolation and mourning. Though some story elements falter, including a subplot involving police intervention, "Personal Shopper" ultimately succeeds as a profound and visually arresting work, blending art-house sensibility with genuine psychological intrigue.

Criterion's Blu-ray release of Olivier Assayas' "Personal Shopper" delivers an excellent technical presentation that matches the standard set by previous releases like "The Clouds of Sils Maria." The film's video and audio transfers are outstanding, maintaining crisp visuals and immersive soundscapes. While the disc may be slightly lacking in supplementary materials, it compensates with the high quality of its core offering.

"Personal Shopper" is an interesting blend of atmospheric tension and contemporary storytelling. Despite some controversy following its Cannes screening, where the film received mixed reactions, notably boos for its perceived thematic disarray, the film does succeed in several aspects. The finale, in particular, stands out as a strong point, evoking a clear sense of conclusion amidst a somewhat disjointed narrative. Assayas manages to capture natural performances that enhance the film's engaging, albeit uneven, journey.

In conclusion, while "Personal Shopper" may not be one of Assayas' most cohesive works, its Criterion release makes it a valuable addition for fans and collectors. The technical presentation is top-notch, ensuring an enjoyable viewing experience even if the film's narrative may not entirely satisfy all audiences.