Boy Meets Girl

French director Leos Carax recently made the visually stunning and great film, 'Holy Motors'. But, his first feature film was back in 1984, titled 'Boy Meets Girl'. It's a bittersweet and lovely story about two broken hearts who find each other in their most weakened state. I would venture a guess that this movie is somewhat autobiographical as the main character is named Alex, which is Carax's actual first name.

Alex (Denis Lavant, a regular in Carax's films), is a prospective filmmaker whose girlfriend recently broke his heart to date his best friend. Alex spends his time walking the streets, looking at other happy couples, listening to music, and coming up with movie titles that he hasn't made yet. He meets a beautiful woman named Mireille (Mireille Perrier), or rather hears her voice on an apartment intercom as she breaks up with her boyfriend.

It takes almost an hour for literally "boy to meet girl' here. But that's the plan and genius of Carax as he wants to keep his two characters from getting to close to their audience. Mireille is a model who is witty, smart, fun, yet a bit chaotic, which is right up Alex's alley. The two hit it off, but are still in a somber state from their recent heartbreak. There is a long conversation between the two new friends as they discuss life and love.

Carax has perfectly crafted these characters to not allow us to develop a relationship with them as tragedy hovers overhead in the distance. Denis Lavant is excellent here as Alex. His emotional range and charm is limitless as he plays Alex with ease and realism. And Perrier turns in solid work as well. There is no score in the film, but Carax uses some iconic rock music to tell the emotional story his character's are telling quite well, including music from David Bowie and The Dead Kennedys.

'Boy Meets Girl' is an excellent film, both beautiful and tragic about two people who just want to be loved. And the black and white cityscape of Paris is absolutely gorgeous as the skyline plays just as much a character in the film as the two main actors do. Carax's first step into the feature film world will stick with you for some time and is one of the most original and freshest looks at the romantic comedy-drama genre.

'Boy Meets Girl' comes with a great 1080p HD transfer presented in 1.66:1 aspect ratio. The image itself looks very good, considering this is a 31-year old movie. There was a lot of work that went into this remaster to keep things looking clean yet retaining that filmic quality from 1984. The detail is quite sharp and vivid throughout, especially during closeups, which reveal individual hairs and wrinkles nicely on the actor's faces. Wider shots also look clear, giving this black and white picture some good depth.

There is a great balance between the black levels, whites, and grays here, with the contrast continuing to be stable from start to finish. There is a fine layer of grain, like a I mentioned above, which keeps the filmic look on the mark, however there are some very minor fluctuations withe level of grain here and there, but it doesn't ruin the picture. There were no major issues here with any compression problems, although some minor debris and dirt were still noticeable, but it's nothing to get bent out of shape about, leaving this video presentation with solid marks.

This release comes with a lossless French DTS-HD 1.0 Mono mix with English subtitles. For being a 1.0 Mono mix, this sounds fantastic. I only wish there were a couple of other options to choose from here, to get that fully immersive sound. The authentic sounds and ambient noises all sound great and well balanced here on this mono track.

They are full and robust always. The only thing you won't have is the surround aspect. Dialogue is always crystal clear, and with the English subtitles, it's easy to follow along. The LFE is great and the dynamic range wide. There were no instances of any pops, cracks, hissing or high shrills, leaving this mono mix with good marks.

On Set: In the Kitchen (HD, 18 Mins.) - Here is some on set footage of the long kitchen talk scene with the two actors and how they prepared and executed their roles in this scene.

Denis Lavant's Screen Test (HD, 8 Mins.) - Actor Denis Lavant discusses his character and his traits from the film, along with his screen test of the character on camera.

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 Mins.) - A new 2014 trailer for the film.

'Boy Meets Girl' is a fascinating film. It's hard to believe that the same guy who directed 'Holy Motors' started with this movie. He's come a long way. 'Boy Meets Girl' is a darkly funny and sincere look at two broken people who just want to be loved. It's simple and beautiful. The video and audio presentations are both solid and the couple of extras are both worth watching. If you're a film buff, you'll definitely want to add this one to your collection.