Words and Pictures

At a prep school, the literature teacher Jack Marcus is about to lose his job over drink; he was a published poet once and no longer writes. The new art teacher, Dina Delsanto, has rheumatoid arthritis and cannot paint. The two start an argument: which is stronger, the word or the picture. Then they spread it across the school and the students split into two camps. What works are the scenes between the two leads: both are people who can no longer do their own work and use the argument as an excuse to produce something. What does not work is the argument itself, which is never really settled, and the school material moves too tidily. Fred Schepisi directed. Clive Owen plays Jack and Juliette Binoche plays Dina. One detail holds the film up: the paintings attributed to Dina were made by Binoche herself, and the canvas scenes were shot as a real working process. Who it is for: anyone who likes quiet drama carried by two performers and films that talk about art. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a sharp script. The student strand is weak, the alcoholism resolves easily, and the ending is too conciliatory.