Teaming up established and highly successful actors such as Sylvie Testud (Fear and Trembling), Natacha Regnier (Criminal Lovers), and Jean-Pierre Marielle (The Swindle) among others Tomorrow We Move tells the story of Charlotte (Sylvie Testud) an aspiring young novelist and her widowed mother Catherine (Aurore Clement) attempting to settle in a brand new apartment. Charlotte however is constantly obsessed with her work-in-progress, an erotic novel, and finds it difficult to balance the creative environment she needs with the demanding presence of her mother. As a result Charlotte decides to sell the high-rise she and her mother have just relocated to and find a more comforting place. Soon, however, they are flooded with prospective buyers that further worsen the living conditions in the posh apartment.

Regardless of Sylvie Testud's convincing performance as a frustrated writer that is doomed to work under extreme conditions Chantal Akerman's latest film doesn't quite deliver the laughs it certainly aspires to. The film is built upon a rather complicated plot where each of the main protagonists undergoes a character transformation forcing them to discover a different side of their personality. In fact, as much as this film attempts to put a smile on the faces of its audience it also, perhaps unintentionally, implies some serious meditation. Its chaotic spirit however neither allows the film to develop as a simple yet effective comedy nor does it let the story to evolve into a film with a deeper and more refined message(s). Quite frankly Tomorrow We Move feels as if it got stuck somewhere in between unsure which direction to follow.

On a positive side the acting is free of the excessive drama that comes with films that attempt too hard to be the intellectual comedies they were never meant to be. The actors appear mostly natural in their roles as they do not overplay their characters creating a snobbish grotesque out of a simple story. The plot however truly negates anything positive one may find valuable in this film. Immediately after we follow Charlotte and Catherine move into their new apartment it feels as if everything falls apart and the film loses direction without ever firmly deciding what it wants to be-a social comedy, an intellectual satire, or both. As a result long before the finale I was left cold and not particularly interested in Charlotte's fate as a writer.

The funniest and perhaps most easily criticized aspect of Tomorrow We Move is Charlotte's constant search of erotic inspiration to feed her upcoming novel (can it really be this bad??). From the porno films that she "researches" to the quick notes she takes in her notebook when prospective buyers mutter their remarks something felt a tad overdone to me. Are most writers really this shallow and incapable of relying on their own imagination?

How Does the DVD Look? Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and enhanced for widescreen TVs Tomorrow We Move is without a doubt (once again) a PAL sourced film. As most every other title from KINO's Kimstim Collection I have been exposed so far this DVD suffers from a heavy dose of "ghosting" and even more noticeable edge-enhancement. Blown out on a big screen and viewed through a digital projector the print exhibits a number of flaws that you are likely to neglect on a standard tube. To be as specific as possible take a look at the night scene where Charlotte and Catherine are attempting to get rid of their extra furniture (it is raining). The blurring and edge-enhancement nearly destroy the print which in all honestly could have been converted properly. In addition, we have the mandatory for such disappointing presentations forced English (white) subtitles (the subs are burnt-in on the actual film print).

How Does the DVD Sound? Unlike what preliminary specs indicate there is no DTS tack on this release. A standard French stereo mix is provided which is all the more unimpressive. I did not see/hear any major flaws with it but the fact remains that the presentation could have been more deserving.

Extras: The following extras are present on this DVD:

Trailer-

Director's Bio-

Final Thoughts: If you happen to be a hardcore fan of Chantal Akerman and her work you are by all means welcome to give this film a chance (be advised of the conversion issues I have pointed out above). But if not, I would rather recommend that you seek out her much more refined and sophisticated La Captive. RENT IT.