Three Days of Leave: A quiet, dusty look at being home

If you're looking for a big war movie with trenches and shouting, you are going to be bored out of your mind. Trois jours de perm' is for the kind of person who likes watching people just... exist in old rooms.

It follows a soldier on a short break. That's really it. If you hate slow pacing or movies where nothing happens but people talking about breakfast, skip this one. 🍿

The whole thing feels a bit like finding an old, stained postcard in a box you forgot about. There is this scene where they are just sitting around a table, and the lighting is so flat it looks like a stage play that lost its funding halfway through. I kind of loved it.

It’s not as polished as something like Oliver Twist, and honestly, the performances feel like they were directed by someone who had a train to catch. But there is a weird, dusty charm to it.

Specific notes:

• The coat rack in the hallway appears in three different scenes, and I'm pretty sure it moves locations.
• The dialogue has this weird rhythm, like everyone is reciting their lines while thinking about what they're having for dinner.
• One of the actors keeps adjusting his hat every single time he enters a room. It becomes hypnotic after ten minutes.

It reminded me a bit of the aimless energy in Si tu veux, just without the same level of focus. Sometimes the camera lingers on a window for so long you start looking for things in the street behind the glass. Did I see a cat? I think I saw a cat.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely a movie, really. It’s more of a mood piece about being tired and home for too little time. You can feel the clock ticking in every scene, even when they’re just drinking coffee. It’s imperfect, sure, but it’s real.

Sometimes the silence is louder than the plot. I’m glad I watched it, even if I’ll probably forget the names of the characters by tomorrow. Sometimes that's okay. 🎞️