French Film Festival 2015 Review: ELLE L'ADORE Keeps You Guessing, Until It Doesn't
Muriel (Sandrine Kiberlain) is a compulsive liar and an obsessed super fan of aging pop star Vincent Lacroix (Laurent Lafitte). She has been following his career and loyally attending gigs and television appearances for years, and he has some knowledge of her presence there. Without warning, the impetuous Vincent is involved in a fatal accident involving his crazed girlfriend.
Instead of doing what nobody in film does, he concocts an almost ingenious plan to get rid of her body and avoid all suspicion. Unfortunately Vincent partners with Muriel to get the dirty deed done, trusting she will follow orders and not peek in the boot of the car. Her simple task is to drive five hours to Switzerland, rendezvous with Vincent's sister, and drive back; it's something the pop star deems Muriel to be capable of doing.
Of course, the plan goes awry, and before Vincent realizes it, he is neck deep in suspicion, with a pair of very dysfunctional detectives picking apart his life. Now Vincent and Muriel are both trying to keep their stories straight, while subtlety playing against each other and avoiding arrest.
A lot of Elle L'Adore is pretty standard, entry-level thriller fare. Some scenes are interestingly shot and the direction is occasionally something more than the generic nature each scene presents, but it is the characters that keep the film on its toes. Vincent is almost ruthless as he keeps the truth at bay, and once he realizes Muriel's fallacies, he begins to plot against her. Muriel is a complex character with emotional problems and serious issues. Although she plays it straight, Kiberlain is so good in this role that you can practically see the machinations of her brain whirring away as she devises lies on top of lies.
Up until the final act, the film does a great job keeping the audience engaged. When the police discover new clues or create new theories, both the protagonists are in danger. Further, Vincent is kept from Muriel's mania and her apparent reasons for sabotaging him. The film presents multiple takes on what happened, and each one is more intriguing than the next as the evidence on both of them mounts. Some of the best scenes come from the police interrogations as Muriel plays everyone in the room, including herself, with elaborate excuses for each bit of evidence against her.
The final act unfortunately lets the film down as it literally slouches to an extremely anticlimactic conclusion. Proceedings are oddly and jarringly resolved and the poor direction leads to a final moment worthy of drama and emotion, only to fizzle out entirely. It does not help that the film builds up the two detectives involved in this case. Not only are they dating but the female detective is a nymphomaniac who constantly cheats on him. It is phenomenally disappointing how this subplot resolves.
Regardless, Elle L'Adore is a very watchable thriller with interesting power plays and understated acting. The subtle critiques on celebrity, status and class also keep things interesting, but this thrilling drama is ultimately forgettable.
This film is playing as part of the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival in Australia from the 3rd March to the 21st April Australia-wide. Please see the website for more information.
Of course, the plan goes awry, and before Vincent realizes it, he is neck deep in suspicion, with a pair of very dysfunctional detectives picking apart his life. Now Vincent and Muriel are both trying to keep their stories straight, while subtlety playing against each other and avoiding arrest.
A lot of Elle L'Adore is pretty standard, entry-level thriller fare. Some scenes are interestingly shot and the direction is occasionally something more than the generic nature each scene presents, but it is the characters that keep the film on its toes. Vincent is almost ruthless as he keeps the truth at bay, and once he realizes Muriel's fallacies, he begins to plot against her. Muriel is a complex character with emotional problems and serious issues. Although she plays it straight, Kiberlain is so good in this role that you can practically see the machinations of her brain whirring away as she devises lies on top of lies.
Up until the final act, the film does a great job keeping the audience engaged. When the police discover new clues or create new theories, both the protagonists are in danger. Further, Vincent is kept from Muriel's mania and her apparent reasons for sabotaging him. The film presents multiple takes on what happened, and each one is more intriguing than the next as the evidence on both of them mounts. Some of the best scenes come from the police interrogations as Muriel plays everyone in the room, including herself, with elaborate excuses for each bit of evidence against her.
The final act unfortunately lets the film down as it literally slouches to an extremely anticlimactic conclusion. Proceedings are oddly and jarringly resolved and the poor direction leads to a final moment worthy of drama and emotion, only to fizzle out entirely. It does not help that the film builds up the two detectives involved in this case. Not only are they dating but the female detective is a nymphomaniac who constantly cheats on him. It is phenomenally disappointing how this subplot resolves.
Regardless, Elle L'Adore is a very watchable thriller with interesting power plays and understated acting. The subtle critiques on celebrity, status and class also keep things interesting, but this thrilling drama is ultimately forgettable.
This film is playing as part of the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival in Australia from the 3rd March to the 21st April Australia-wide. Please see the website for more information.
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