This spy caper is about government agents who are more interested in hoping into bed with the subjects of their investigation and each other than they are in finding the misplaced state secrets - Ah, the French! The case leads the agents to go undercover by posing as music students in this bizarre but delightful genre mash-up that gradually become more ridiculous as each scene passes without ever dropping it's deadpan tone. I know this is a cop out but I'm going to excerpt most of Raymond Murray's write-up from the festival guide because he does such a good job of summing up this unique film:
Odd is the first word that springs to mind when describing this effervescent French spy comedy, with the words witty, unpredictable, delightful and original following close behind. Secret agents Muriel (Marina Fois) and the boyish Philippe (Lorant Deutsch) are sent on a mission to find a USB key possibly hidden by Constance (Jeanne Balibar), the fetching widow of a recently killed black market uranium salesman . . . Will the alternately quarrelling and loving spy couple find the key? Er…that may not be the point in what director Ilan Duran Cohen (Grandsons, Confusion of Genders) calls an "anti-romantic comedy." It’s actually much more than that: it may be France’s first sexy musical/comedy/spy caper/thriller.
Generally I don't understand what's going on in a Quay brothers film, in the strictest sense of the word, but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy them. I mean, one of my favorite paintings is "Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War)" by Salvador Dalí and I don't understand it at all. I think it's about war because it's right there in the title and, clearly, nothing good is going on in that painting but that's as deep as my understanding goes. But that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate on a purely visceral level. For me, the Quay brothers are the same way. They have such a distinctive and imaginative style that it's impossible to look away. Their films always seem to have an otherworldly feel to them with an ominous, almost frightening, tone. I don't get them but they're beautiful in their own horrifying way.
France has long ago abandoned the love triangle in favor of the love dodecahedron. The primary relationship in this film is between a student and a teacher (played by the guy from The Dreamers). Of course the teacher has to break up with another teacher and the student he's currently seeing before he can make a move. There are lots of secrets, betrayals, and broken hearts. It's a well-made film but trying to keep track of all the relationships gave me a headache.
Based on a true story, this film hits all the usual tropes of the oppressed-person-takes-a-stand-against-the-system-of-injustice-by-going-to-court film but manages to keep it all fresh and immensely watchable. It stars Nicole Beharie (who you should keep your eye on) with a supporting cast that features Alfre Woodard, Tim Blake Nelson, Charles S. Dutton and a gentleman with the curious name of Xzibit. The case at the heart of this film deals with racist police actions in Hearne, Texas during the 2000 elections. The DA ordered a drug raid on an apartment building based on the testimony of one man with a history of mental illness. An innocent woman is arrested and compelled to make a plea bargain that would give her a suspended sentence and allow her to return home to her children. This arrangement lets the DA's office claim another conviction and increase the amount of federal money they are entitled to. It's a terribly corrupt system that preys on the weakest people in the county and glorifies the powerful. The film tells the powerful story of how Regina Kelly (Dee Roberts in the film) stood up to this injustice with the help of the ACLU and a local lawyer. It also features uniformly strong performances and a clever screenplay. In a few weeks it's going to start showing up in theaters and I think it will appeal to a broad audience.
I missed the first two installments of this Thai horror series, so I'm a little out of my element here. The plot seemed overly complex and soap operay but at lest part of that is probably me being thrown into the middle of a story. It's a decent film but it's one of those horror movies that's more gross than it is scary.
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