When I heard the plot of the film You Go To My Head, I couldn’t help but think of Overboard, the 1987 comedy starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. If you don’t know, it’s the story of a man finding an injured woman with amnesia and convincing her that she’s his wife. While it may have been a light-hearted comedy, the idea always felt to me that it was pretty freaking creepy. Well, You Go To My Head, has a similar story but travels down a much darker road. From director Dimitri de Clercq (The Blue Villa), this tale goes into some dark places but at the core, there’s a morbid beauty to the entire film.
Dafne (Delfine Bafort) finds herself in a nasty car accident in the Sahara Desert. Alone, she’s found by Jake (Svetozar Cvetkovic) who takes her and helps to nurse her back to health. In her current condition, he realizes that she has amnesia. Taken by her beauty, he decides to put together a story and convinces her that she’s his wife. It’s a huge lie, but he can’t help himself. He’s a successful architect with the means to give her a wonderful life. Since she can no longer remember her real name, Jake gives her the name Kitty. The two begin to fall in love all over again (or, actually for the first time) and everything seems to be working out. As shreds of Kitty/Dafne’s memory begins to come through, she begins to question what she’s been told and Jake tries to do whatever he can to keep her with him.
You Go To My Head is a beautiful film. It’s stunning in the sense that cinematographer Stijn Grupping uses his talent to help tell the story with interesting images and locations. Having shot the film in Morocco, there’s plenty to see and absorb, correlating it to the characters and their story.
The acting from Bafort and Cvetkovic is top notch. Both of them walk an interesting line. Bafort uses the dialogue deliverance to convey her emotions, but it’s how she carries herself and reacts to the events that really drive the performance. Lots of spent tears throughout the film, but as things begin to come clear, she grows a confidence that is shown through her physical movements. Cvetkovic, on the other hand, has a very difficult job. On the surface, his character really is a creepy old dude who cons this gorgeous young gal to love him. He’s able to balance the creepy with sympathy, because even though his actions are disgusting, deep down he just wants to be loved.
Although You Go To My Head is magnificent to look at and the acting is incredible, the story suffers from moving far too slow at times, and the ending was a bit underwhelming. While it may not be a perfect flick, it’s still an interesting piece and a journey worth traveling just for the character work alone. Shortcomings aside, You Go To My Head keeps you pondering long after the credits begin to roll.
You Go To My Head premiered on Valentine’s Day in NYC and on 2/21 in LA.
Related Article: Why ‘Joker’ is a Modern-Day Frankenstein Story
