Nobody Else But You (2011)

“Nobody Else But You” (A.K.A. “Poupoupidou”) perhaps attempts to ‘put a spell on you’, as the title credits roll with Martine Langevin (Sophie Quinton), better known as Candice Lecoeur to the world in this film, dressed in sheer white, croons the song (“I put a spell on you”) rather seductively, as fleeting, extreme close-ups of her appear (and disappear) on the screen.

The opening shot more or less hints at the fact that we aren’t really going to see or feel much of the enigmatic Candice, who’s at the center of this mystery that initially gives us an impression of being a tragedy of epic proportions. But alas! Initial appearances deceive, as the film quickly dilutes into a pedestrian detective suspense-thriller that in fact borrows elements (with a just excuse too) from the life story of and conspiracy theories surrounding the life and death of famous actress and sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe!

The story is narrated in the voice of Candice in a post-mortal tone, speaking from beyond the grave, as if writing in a diary, as she’s always been, through her teenage years. We are introduced to David Rousseau (Jean-Paul Rouve, nuanced), a down-on-his-luck author suffering from a writer’s block. Although he has written quite a few books of detective fiction, he can’t seem to find a plot to pen his new novel. His publisher is after him to get something up soon or move on. David has travelled to the small, snow-clad town of Mouthe to collect some inheritance a relative left him. He stumbles upon a scene in an area where the body of blonde young girl found buried in the snow is being carried away. It is that of a starlet by the name of Martine, who took up the screen name of Candice Lecoeur, who has only been famous locally and is the face of the local cheese brand, as she has appeared in the commercials of the same. The police have closed the case as that of suicide as she was found with a bottle of pills in her hand, but David’s detective-fiction infested mind predictably suspects foul play!

David makes every attempt to gather clues, even going so far as to break into the morgue to take a closer look at her body, and also breaking into her now empty house to sniff out clues that could lead him to unlock the cause of Candice’s mysterious death. But for some strange reason, the authorities keep discouraging him and deem it an open and shut case of suicide following depression. Only the assistant police officer Bruno (Guillaume Gouix) who is also curious to know more, for his own reasons, is supportive of David and sees him as a means to find some answers, by not strictly adhering to the law.

And so the investigation continues, with David doing the snooping around, and Bruno helping him out every way he can using his police power, in order to find the whole truth behind Candice’s death. David hopes to find some substance, to possibly revive his dead creativity by writing about Candice’s death and the ensuing investigations! But the mystery thickens, as David unearths that Candice firmly believed herself to be the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe herself, and that, in an eerie coincidence, the events in her life very closely paralleled those of the late Hollywood star…..!

The Marilyn Monroe connection is probably the only aspect that distinguishes “Nobody Else But You” from a conventional murder mystery cum detective story, but unfortunately, this angle is handled with an almost sarcastic triviality by the filmmakers, somewhat undoing what could’ve been a meaty thriller mirroring a real life tragedy. In the aforementioned voiceovers which are excerpts from the writings in Candice’s diary, one gets the impression that Candice has had a life of sadness and loneliness but there isn’t enough material to support this, apart from some fleeting yet blatant references to the personal relationships of Marilyn Monroe. The mood shifts from occasionally melancholic to sardonically comic. Maybe it is the modest length, but one wishes enough time was spent on footage of the woman in question, Candice. But the narrative proceeds in a rather clunky manner, and we get to see very little of Candice, as a result, yielding a half-baked character that doesn’t develop well, because the focus is mostly on David’s deductions, which sadly aren’t earth-shattering enough. Candice’s belief of being the reincarnation of Monroe and David’s findings which bear a striking resemblance to the happenings in Monroe’s life are treated in a rather non-serious fashion. The investigations see a gradual climb, but David stumbles upon clues in a convenient and casual manner and we are led to a culmination that is somewhat underwhelming. The ‘big secret’ is just not potent enough to make us sit up and take notice. To make matters worse, the film explores a number of clichés like the motel receptionist falling for David and he playing the reluctant object of affection, the very one-dimensional uncooperative police chief (Olivier Rabourdin), and the oft-used predictable device of attempts to sabotage David’s investigations by causing “accidents”, endangering his life, amongst other things.

Despite the predictabilities, the film somehow stays afloat and ends up being watchable, even though the narrative is mostly focused on David instead of Candice who we would’ve loved to see and know more about. The cinematography is marvelous. Snow-covered landscapes never looked this beautiful since “Fargo”! There is also a peculiar aspect of the number ‘5’ appearing in the frame in various scenes involving David. Like, the number of David’s motel room is '5', so is the number of the bowling alley where he plays later. This could be easily missed, but it gives an additional surreal quality to the narrative. The significance of it is not explored in detail but it’s an interesting little facet.

Jean-Paul Rouve’s performance is subtle and very likeable. His straight-faced humorous outlook smoothly shifts to a lot more somber and back with ease. The same can’t be said about his partner-in-investigations, supporting actor Guillaume Gouix who is mostly wooden. Sophie Quinton is an awesome lady and with whatever scope she gets she pulls her part off convincingly as the starlet who thinks she is Marilyn Monroe reborn, but she can’t hold a candle to the definitive charisma of the effervescent yesteryear blonde beauty. Maybe more screen time and a meatier, better written character at hand and Quinton would probably have made a bigger impression than she does here.

Writer-director Gérald Hustache-Mathieu’s “Nobody Else But You” just about makes it but also gives us the feeling that this was an opportunity not fully exploited. It is like an underdone meal, one which had your favorite ingredients, but was taken out too quickly from the oven! There was so much one could do with the plot at hand…!

Score: 6.5/10.

Amer (2009)

There's a large mansion; a spooky looking old house, complete with furniture and wall hangings reminiscent of those old gothic horror stories. An old man is lying dead, perhaps embalmed, in one of the rooms. In extreme close-ups, weird camera angles and imaginative POV shots, we see the world through the eyes of a little girl, Ana (Cassandra Foret), who scampers about the house while her domineering mother (Bianca Maria D'Amato, dressed in mourning black) scolds a faceless old caretaker, Graziella, about some dead sparrow. But it isn't entirely clear what she is being sounded off for, for the dialog is mostly sparse. Ana appears to be scared of Graziella and turns away just as her face threatens to turn in her direction! We hear some muffled conversation from across the rooms. 

Ana seems to be curious about something; a locket of some sort that lies in the hands of the dead old man. Strange things happen in the next few minutes, as you are subjected to more close-ups of keyholes and evidently nonhuman eyeballs looking through them, the relentless sound of footsteps, the wheezing, and the doors banging while Ana continues to curiously seek the locket; it all culminates in one scene in which Ana sees her mother having sex with a man (who may or may not be her father). Witnessing this scene triggers a chemical reaction in Ana's brain, as she wanders off into another state and the camera takes the form of the Ana's mind and projects images that shift between vivid colors. The scene echoes in her head repeatedly as it does on the screen in a rather lurid fashion. What she sees indeed has had a huge impact on her wee mind.  

Writer-director duo Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani managed to grab this viewer's attention in the first twenty odd minutes into the film. It is a rather clever cinematic device that justifies the over-indulgent use of close range shots, sometimes grainy, sometimes blurry vision and the continuous shifting of loud colours, for these images are a reflection of Ana's psyche! Ditto for the outstanding sound design that demands attention from your aural senses in a manner that will make you feel like you are very much part of the scene that is playing out for real but perceived in an exaggerated fashion by Ana's mind. The squishing sound, as Ana steps on the dead sparrow makes you cringe. So does the sickening sound of a finger breaking off from the dead body....! 

Cut to a few years later, a teenage Ana (Charlotte Eugène Guibeaud), dressed in a short summer frock, walks closely with her mother, who still appears dominating, or is, perhaps protecting her from the prying eyes of lustful men, while she herself loosens a button of her dress when she sees a car approaching! The setting is quite bright and cheerful compared to the bleak first half hour. A small insect crawls up Ana's body and the camera captures the insect's every move as it traverses Ana's thighs. Voyeuristic? Lewd? Maybe, but the intention is very much such. This is a girl in her adolescence, just discovering her sexuality. And yet again, the camera takes the form of Ana's senses and feelings, as it continues to have its powerful effect on us by making us feel what Ana feels. More bizarre camerawork follows, as the focus zooms in on dripping sweat, Ana's frock slightly being blown up by the wind, and some strands of her own long hair that are held between her full, red lips.....! 

In one clever scene a very important point is conveyed. A group of biker men are eyeing Ana's virginal beauty, an act that evokes feelings like never before in Ana, but her curiosity and that unique feeling of sinful pleasure is thwarted by her mother's sudden slap on her face as she realizes that her daughter is drifting away!  

Moving on, an adult Ana (Marie Bos) returns to her hometown and takes a cab ride to the aforementioned mansion in which she grew up. The taxi ride is a strangely surreal sequence, as Ana asks the cab driver, who she suspects is checking her out from the rear-view mirror, to roll her windows down. She seems to feel an orgasmic pleasure as the wind rubs against her body and her dress starts tearing up at the seams; it is a terrific piece of direction indeed, that puts forth the question, has Ana been living under the shadow of her over-protective mother far too long and not been given the freedom to explore her sexuality in a natural manner? Is Ana terrified of the staring eyes or any kind of look that men give her, thanks to some incidents from the past that we have been given a hint of? Watch out for that subtle but important scene in which, Ana, back in the mansion, cuts out the eyes from the portraits of men that hang around the house! Is there a strange black figure lurking around the house, spying on her? Or is it a figment of her imagination; her immense fear of being watched all the time, taking a terrifying, malevolent form? 

"Amer", a Belgian-French shoe-string budget production, challenges the audience with its mystifying imagery and also manages to enthrall with its stylistic storytelling technique. There is almost no dialog and the film mostly relies on visuals and sound to convey meaning. "Amer" is said to be a homage to the Italian 'giallo' films. But frankly, that influence comes much later in the third act of the film. The eroticism is there, but it is devoid of any explicit sex or nudity. There is sensuality, alright, but it plays out more like a teaser, as it tantalizes the viewer's imagination with the brilliant work of the lens and the sound. Gore and violence, particularly copious amounts of blood spilling and the appearance of a black-gloved hand with a knife, which are essential characteristics of the giallo genre also appear at the very end in a startlingly gruesome final act, until which they are mostly absent. The poster artwork alludes to classic Italian giallo as well , but it is indeed remarkable to find that this film very smoothly blends elements of art-house cinema with the giallo genre, with a premise that revolves around psycho-sexuality! The brilliant background score is akin to what was used in giallo films and some of the soundtrack is apparently directly used from some older films.

They say that "Amer" will appeal to fans of Mario Bava and Dario Argento. But Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani have given us a very intelligent and disturbingly spectacular film, that will find its audiences not only amongst giallo fans, but also amongst lovers of surrealist films, gothic horror and psychological thrillers as well. This, is pure cinema....true art!

Score: 10/10  

 

Confessions (2010)

What drives a wronged person to revenge? What initiates a thirst for retribution? It is when the powers that be fail to deliver a fair judgement; when the hunger for getting even remains unsatisfied; when one is convinced that justice has not been done and decides that they just can’t remain helpless, mute spectators to the wrongdoing inflicted upon them or their loved ones.

But to what extent should one go? How much is enough? Is death the ultimate penalty? Not at all! What is more potent then? A fate worse than death, perhaps; something that could make life a living hell for the perpetrator!

Japanese filmmaker Tetsuya Nakashima's "Confessions" (2010), which tells a rather twisted tale of one such act of revenge, begins on a rather random note with a somewhat disoriented scene in a noisy classroom full of boisterous and mischievous thirteen year olds on the final day of class before school closes for the Spring break. A young teacher, Miss Moriguchi (Takako Matsu), says that it will be her last day in school and is delivering a long monologue which occasionally gets drowned in the accompanying continuous drone in the background score. The viewer suffers distraction too, with the camera cutting to the shots of some students playing mischief, hitting each other with a baseball, and chattering away, hardly paying attention to their teacher, while she continues addressing the class. The whole class (and so does the viewer) suddenly starts paying attention when she begins to make some startling revelations about what happened with her little daughter Manami.

She reveals that her daughter was killed in an incident which was considered to be drowning by accident and was soon dismissed. But in reality, two boys present in the class at the time, were responsible for the daughter’s death. She further adds that she is aware that the laws for juveniles are too soft and the boys would escape severe punishment. The students are taken aback at these sudden shocking confessions and are further subjected to a deadly surprise when Miss Moriguchi reveals her diabolical plan for exacting revenge and establishes that she has already set the ball rolling as they speak ….!

It’s a fantastic twist that catches us unawares in this one scene in the beginning but it also raises a whole lot of questions immediately. What next? Is this it? This almost seems to be a closure to the story. A girl killed, culprits revealed, and the mother takes her revenge! That kind of wraps it up, doesn’t it?! But not so soon. Writer-director Tetsuya Nakashima has more in store for us! The meaning of the title "Confessions" now starts taking shape. For this is not merely about the confessions of the mother, Ms. Moriguchi! It is also about those of others who are somehow tied to the incident in question.

In a rather intricately layered and engaging screenplay, Nakashima shifts focus from one viewpoint to the other. A motley of characters, people connected to the incident make their own confessions in voice-overs that narrate their side of the story. Nakashima presents us one picture in the initial few frames, from which we form an image of a particular character. Yet later, he forces us to see the same picture in a different light, a completely different perspective that makes us rethink our initial judgment of the character. It is a classic representation of the other side of truth and how appearances can be deceptive. It is about how it is awfully difficult to distinguish the right from the wrong, the good from the bad, because in the end, it is all a matter of perspective. One could stop at what seems to be the absolute truth. But dig beneath, and there could be more that could turn a fact on its head!

"Confessions" is a fascinating play on the viewer's judgment and overall impression about a person or a happening; an impression that doesn’t seem to attain stability and finds itself shifting in the labyrinth of these strange episodes happening in each person’s life. Nakashima also succeeds in putting the viewer in a hypnotic trance with his stylistic approach of beautiful cinematography that is gorgeous and bleak at the same time, a haunting soundtrack that plays with the senses along with a very prominent drone that fills the atmosphere, and slow-motion camerawork that more or less occupies most of the running time of the film, rendering a spacey, dream-like mood. One might wonder if more style means less substance, but so is not the case, as there is enough meat to balance the style and a perfect equilibrium is achieved in the overall construction of the film. Thankfully, graphic, gory violence, which is a characteristic of most Asian revenge dramas is kept to a minimum and is not exaggerated. There is more reliance on the trance-like atmosphere rather than the gore.

"Confessions" boasts of an intriguing script and commendable performances, especially from Takako Matsu and youngsters Yukito Nishii and Ai Hashimoto. The film does falter slightly though, from some overdone and contorted scenes drawing dangerously close to being gimmicky, tacky special effects towards the end and just too many twists crammed in the final act, some of which aren’t as shocking or compelling as some better ones that appear midway through the film. Hardly any reason to sideline it though; for this is surely one of the better thrillers from recent times that you’ll have the pleasure of viewing.

Score: 8/10

Dirty Pretty Things (2002)

Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a Nigerian illegal immigrant in London. This brooding man drives a taxi by day and works as a porter at a plush hotel in London by night. He supposedly never sleeps and chews on some kind of leaves to keep himself awake. He is a kind man; popular and well-loved amongst fellow immigrants who live a hand-to-mouth existence in the city doing odd jobs as custodians, cleaners, cooks, cabbies. Okwe also helps out his friends and other poor immigrants with their ailments; apparently he has some history working as a doctor in his home country!

Okwe has an arrangement with another illegal immigrant, a shy, Turkish woman named Senay (Audrey Tautou), wherein he uses her couch in her small room to catch a few winks during morning time when she reports to work in the same hotel he works in. He also likes Senay and she likes him but nothing has been said yet. Senay is too reserved and shy and fears the neighbours. She does not want to attract unwanted attention, especially from nosey gossipers! Any wrong move can lead to her deportation; the immigration officials are already harassing her.

A dramatic change of events occurs one day and it sets off a series of episodes that threaten to change the lives of Okwe and Senay forever. A prostitute Juliette (Sophie Okonedo) asks Okwe to check a room she has been in. Okwe inspects the room and finds that the toilet bowl is blocked and overflowing. He is shocked to discover that the cause of the blockage is a human heart stuck in the pipes! The Spanish night manager Senor “Sneaky” Juan (Sergi Lopez) seems to be well aware and tries to bribe Okwe to keep his mouth shut. Okwe gradually discovers that there is something sinister and “dirty” beneath the “pretty” hotel exterior.

“Dirty Pretty Things” is a tale about dreams. It is about those countless immigrants who dream of making a better living in a rich, developed country; of having the kind of life and freedom they could never have in their home countries. It is about how they would give their eye and teeth to have a legal status! Survival is on the knife’s edge as is the case for any illegal immigrant in a big city, who wants to ‘escape’ to paradise. Steven Knight’s screenplay is refreshingly original, barring some minor clichéd characterization and blatant racial stereotyping which prove to be the glitches in an otherwise superb work of writing (It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay). Stephen Frears turns Knight’s script into an intriguing thriller, that’s also a gut-wrenchingly potent drama centered around illegal immigrants in London.

The story is told in a crisp fashion with some beautiful cinematography and commendable shot composition, and the preliminary scenario is established rather quickly but doesn’t seem hurried or forced in any way. It hardly takes any time for the plot to take off which works in the film’s favour. The character of Okwe quickly strikes a chord with the audiences, with most of the first few minutes revolving around him and his deeds. What doesn’t work is how most characters (including Okwe, to some extent) are instantly recognizable as either “good” or “bad” or “kind” or “unkind” and don’t deviate from these traits of theirs! Okwe, for example, is shown to be such an impossibly noble and kind soul that you can’t possibly think he can harm anyone. On the other hand there’s 'Sneaky' Juan, who is like the ultimate personification of 'slimy', staring you in the face! Some lines of dialog including some oozing racial stereotyping are just too blatantly rude to be taken seriously.

And then there are some character clichés like the helpful buddy (Guo, an Asian man who works at the hospital mortuary), the hooker with a heart of gold (Juliette), Senay’s fat and horny old immigrant employer (Barber Ali, a sweatshop foreman) who not-surprisingly asks her for sexual favours in return for not revealing her identity or whereabouts to the hot on the trail immigration officials.. ! Hand it to the filmmaker and the actors though, that despite these clichés, the viewer ultimately ends up rooting for them anyway! Audrey Tautou is in fact miscast as a Turkish woman, and although one really wonders why someone from Turkey would have to go through all the tough ordeals to secure a status for themselves in London, she delivers a kind of performance that you can’t overlook and can’t help but applaud. Senay’s predicament and her dealing with the whole situation is pulled off in a sincere effort by Tautou. Ditto for Sergi Lopez as the crooked hotel manager who has something dirty up his sleeve. The guy is despicable to say the least and portrays his one-dimensional character in an extremely convincing manner.

But the big winner in the performances department is of course, Chiwetel Ejiofor, as Okwe. His character is written in a manner which will surely evoke great empathy. Ejiofor makes the character his own and steals the show from right under everyone’s noses with a fabulous performance and manages to instantly connect with the viewer. He is a helpful, kind, selfless man but you very much know that he has a great sadness about him. It is a brilliant portrayal of a tortured soul; an epitome of self-sacrifice.

It is worthwhile to check out Stephen Frears’ “Dirty Pretty Things”. While it may not be perfect, it is a fine work of cinema that is gripping as well as emotionally affecting and will keep you hooked ‘til it reaches its bittersweet conclusion.

Score: 8/10.

The War Zone (1999)

Prima facie, “The War Zone” comes across as a misnomer for this brutally disturbing drama directed by Tim Roth. This reviewer thought it is set against the backdrop of a war, but when the film unfolded, the underlying meaning of the title became clearer; the only war this film deals with is a personal war; a war within!

15-year old Tom (Freddie Cunliffe) is the hero of this sad story. His family, consisting of 18 year old sister Jessie (Lara Belmont), Dad (Ray Winstone), and Mum (A bloated Tilda Swinton) have moved to the Devonshire countryside to live on an isolated property, leaving their London city life behind. Tom is bored and feels lonely, clearly misses London. There hardly are neighbours; the area is mostly desolate. Pregnant mum just delivers a baby amidst difficult circumstances (a car accident!) and yet the baby is born healthy. Everyone is slightly injured, but in the end it’s all hunky dory and life goes on. The isolation and modest living conditions have also made these people used to casual nudity around the house. Tom is a curious teen, and he seems to have taken fancy to a neighbouring girl, Lucy (Kate Ashfeld).

The seemingly peaceful environment in the family is disrupted one day when Tom comes face to face with a shattering truth about an incestuous relationship between his Dad and sister…

But haven't we seen so many other films that deal with incest? Maybe so, but what makes "The War Zone" distinct, is in its non-adherence to rendering simplistic treatment to its characters. These characters are complex, they aren't necessarily pigeon-holed to predictable traits. So then, when we witness the dynamics of these characters we are forced to ask ourselves several questions. The dad seems to be a really nice and loving father. Why then, does he develop the sick desire to sexually abuse his own daughter? Is he even aware of what he is doing? Is he aware of the gravity of his heinous act? Or is it rather casual to him; ....perhaps he himself has a history of abuse dating back to his childhood?

And then there's Jessie; she is well aware of the implications of the deeds she is involving herself in. Or is she? Maybe she is going along with it, maybe she is enjoying it. Or perhaps suffering (?) silently, because she is too afraid to bring it out in the open; maybe just too ashamed. And the mother is blissfully unaware of what is happening....will she be able to take it once she realizes?

 

Which brings us to Tom, who is at the epicenter of this explosive situation. It is actually through his eyes that we see the film. You can't help but yield to a hint somewhere in the middle of the film that there's a curious voyeur inside him who wants to videotape the action. And you wish deep within that it is only to expose the sick act. But it can't be ignored that Tom is a 15 year old teen struggling with his own transition into adulthood. And call it a case of bad timing; fate is playing a cruel joke on the boy by invoking the adult inside this vulnerable teen by bringing him face to face with the most aberrant of sexual acts inside his own home! At a point of time the sister almost hits the nail on the head after a confrontation, "This isn't just about me and dad is it?" further insinuating that actually Tom wants to know about sex and himself wants to experience it!

Tom is thus, a soul torn apart. Maybe he knows the difference between right and wrong but is finding himself succumbing to a perverse temptation, given his unstable transition phase! Jessie tries to put her assumption about Tom to the test in a bizarre episode at her friend Carol's place in London; then again, perhaps her intentions are different altogether! Her eventual action further clouds any hopes the viewer may have about gaining an insight on Jessie's thought process. It is in this unpredictability of the characters that most of the success of this excellent handling of a fine screenplay by Alexander Stuart lies. Tim Roth, a fine actor of our time, proves that he can handle the director's job with an equal finesse. He clearly understands his characters' complexities and his vision of the characters' personae enables him to deliver their perfect transition to the motion picture.

The soul is all there, but what about the body? No complaints there either; Roth captures some of the finest images of the isolated, rain-soaked country side and the rocky seashore. The feeling of desolation is further enhanced by the achingly beautiful score by Simon Boswell. The choice of actors is spot on. Winstone and Swinton are simply great in their respective roles. But special mention must be made of the actors who play the siblings, Lara Belmont and Freddie Cunliffe who had no prior acting experience but emerge winners with their effortless performances.

Do not miss Tim Roth's "The War Zone". It is a disturbing look at something as warped as incest but a patient and an open-minded viewing would ensure that instead of turning your head away in shame, you'll end up thanking yourself for subjecting yourself to this mind-numbing yet rewarding film experience.

Score: 9/10

Monsieur Hire (1989)

He is a quiet man, Monsieur Hire (Michel Blanc). A balding, middle aged fellow, a misanthrope and a recluse, he doesn’t socialize much. None of the neighbours talk to him either; conversations die down and they start whispering as he passes by. A tailor by profession, Hire is particular about his appearance. He keeps some pet white rats at home. When one of the pet rats dies, he carefully wraps it in a piece of cloth and gives it a respectful water burial! He seems to be a good, honest man, but no one really knows much about him. Perhaps they don’t want to know. But they don’t miss a chance to sneak a curious peek at him like he is some alien being. When Hire realizes this, he promptly snaps back “Want a photograph?” Some neighbourhood kids make fun of him by throwing flour on him or making fun of him. He just brushes all of this off and holds no grudge against anyone. He just isn’t bothered; wants to be left alone, as always.

It is no surprise then, that when one young woman is found murdered in the vicinity, he automatically becomes the prime suspect. Blame it on the neighbourhood! And more so, because a taxi driver saw a figure somewhat matching Monsieur Hire’s description run towards the same block where Monsieur Hire resides. The police detective starts pursuing his suspect; there’s no evidence yet that can implicate Hire, but the detective is in hot pursuit.

Monsieur Hire seems unperturbed, though. There is nothing that can possibly connect him. He has just become an easy target because he is “not sociable; and people don’t like that”. So Hire goes about his daily, mundane, boring routine; amongst his pastimes and necessities is a visit to the bowling alley, he is a champion at the game and is well admired by onlookers who give him a round of applause for he never misses scoring a perfect strike, even when blindfolded. He acknowledges their adulation with a forced smile. He also spends time at a brothel once in a while to satisfy his sexual needs but seems to be getting increasingly weary of it. 

And then there’s Alice (Sandrine Bonnaire), his object of affection who stays in the neighbouring apartment complex. He spends most of his time standing in his window, simply observing Alice through her open window directly in front of his. She has never noticed; has in fact, always thought that Hire’s apartment was empty and therefore never felt the need to put up drapes! Hire observes Alice’s every move, as she dresses, undresses, eats, sleeps, and once in a while makes out with her no good fiancé Emile (Luc Thuillier). Hire also is a lover of music and plugs in the same record on his player, the soulful Quatuor en Sol Mineur Op. 25 de Brahms, every time he stands to watch Alice. Hire just wants to watch. He is in love, but he knows there isn’t much he can do about it. He just watches. It becomes apparent that Emile doesn’t seem to be serious about marrying Alice. Alice knows this, but she loves him. Everything changes one day when Alice finally gets a good look at the ghostly face that has been staring at her all this time....

Director Patrice Leconte’s effortless storytelling does a laudable job of building Hire’s character for the viewers in a considerably short time. Right from the first frame, as the body of the young woman is discovered, Leconte’s 1989 film “Monsieur Hire” has the power to grip! Sure, there is a murder. But solving the murder is least of film’s concerns. Who did the killing is secondary. The murder acts as a catalyst and alters the status quo. How this killing decides the fate of our two central characters; that forms the crux of this heartwrenching story.

In its modest running time of about 1 hour 17 minutes or so, there is not one wasted moment and we can instantly connect to the two lead characters, Hire and Alice. These characters are both very human. They have their secrets, they have their ambitions, they have their motivations and in the end they have their secret desires! And therefore, not everything is out in the open; not just as yet. There is a lot going on in these characters’ minds which we aren’t given a peek at. The voyeur in us doesn’t have the kind of luck Monsieur Hire has, as he gets to see Alice’s life like a Live reality show! But Leconte has a purpose. For deep within the layers of this deeply moving psychological drama lies the darkest of human traits; motivations that drive a person to take the step they take, that might shatter all beliefs, all the hope one has instilled in humanity. There are important lessons to be learnt. Oft-stated idioms “Don’t judge a book by its cover” are reinforced. Appearances are indeed deceiving. Your curmudgeonly, neglected next door neighbor could perhaps be an angel in disguise! But then there is the bigger question of trust and inherent cynicism that we social beings have to live with. How much can we know at face value? In the end, we are only human!

Michel Blanc instantly makes an impression; his pale, round face, although deadpan most of the times, speaks volumes at its most vulnerable. Sandrine Bonnaire does justice to the kind of unreserved character she is playing.

There is a strong chance that no matter how surrounded you are by people, you will end up feeling all alone when you reach the film’s shattering climax. “Monsiure Hire” is a melancholic character study of a lonesome man who falls in love. But at what price?

Score: 9/10

Possession (1981)

In one scene in Andrzej Zulawski’s “cult” horror thriller, “Possession” (1981), Sam Neill’s character Mark tells Isabelle Adjani’s character Anna, “I think of you as an animal, or a woman possessed…”! It wouldn’t be entirely inappropriate to say that this is true of almost all the characters in this substandard mess of a horror film cum “intense” drama, for all the primary characters behave like mentally deranged morons or appear stoned whenever they are on screen.

We begin with a creepy background score during the title credits when Mark (Sam Neill, at his very worst) arrives from “far away”, back to his son Bob (Michael Hogben) and wife Anna (Isabelle Adjani). Their first meeting after a seemingly huge gap seems awkward; all is clearly not well with their marriage. Later there is some vague talk between the couple, trying to explain the lack of intimacy. “There is always someone else, when these things happen”, Mark insinuates that Anna is being unfaithful. She denies in the beginning, but later admits to having an affair. A shattered Mark soon finds out that it is a man named Heinrich (Heinz Bennet), an Anthony Hopkins lookalike, sexually ambiguous character. But Heinrich and his mother both admit that they haven’t seen Anna for “weeks”! The mystery deepens and there could be something/someone else contributing to Anna’s continuous absence and increasingly erratic behavior. Mark hires a private detective Zimmerman (Shaun Lawton) to follow Anna and very soon a bizarre secret is unearthed, which is somehow linked to a mysterious tentacled monster..…

“Possession” begins on an alarmingly wrong note. The horrible dialog and the actors’ over-the-top dialog delivery are largely to blame. A serious conversation seems very dramatic, awkward and fake and therein lies the biggest problem with this film. Senseless ramblings and non sequiturs abound! The lead characters are going through a bitter married relationship, yet one fails to connect to them or feel any sympathy, thanks to the abysmally bad acting, especially by Sam Neill! He is horrendous here, and while Neill’s later performances are quite good, he is simply unbearable in this early acting venture of his. Then there is Isabelle Adjani who can emote very well in some scenes, but again, falls flat while delivering some vital lines of dialog. And when she isn’t doing that, she is mostly convulsing hysterically and trying hard to be the scream queen of the century. There is so much of cacophony, fighting and yelling, bickering and beating about throughout the film that it eventually gets on the nerves! It is just too jarring, shrill and unintentionally comic at times to be taken any seriously! A lookalike (a doppelganger?) of Anna shows up as a green-eyed, more quiet Helen (Adjani again) who is a teacher to Bob. It is with this role that Adjani gets to have a breather for a change, because otherwise it must’ve been a hell of a tiring shoot for her, shredding her vocal cords off and throwing herself all over the set!

The film’s plot has an ambiguous nature. A lot of vague information is exchanged; fleeting mentions of “pink socks”, “faith”, “chance” and “divinity”. The happenings in the film aren’t supposed to be taken in the literal sense. There is supposed to be some deeply allegorical meaning within, pertaining to marriage and divorce and finding God and happiness; yet any kind of interest to find a deeper meaning is overshadowed, thanks to the god-awful script and the embarrassing situations Zulawski puts his actors into. Imagine making all of them act like they do, it boggles the mind. 

Heinz Bennet is another such actor whose Heinrich character seems to be perpetually stoned and delivers lines of dialog as if he is delivering a sermon, rehearsed too! A couple more characters like Margit Gluckmeister (Margit Cartensen), Anna’s best friend, and a detective (Carl Duering) sent to find out Anna’s whereabouts, do their bits in being the jesters in this circus of madness. Caricature-like characterization, to a great extent, and a substantial lack of suspense mar any prospects the film otherwise had owing to its intricate plot which is again, mostly incoherent in the preliminary viewing but makes some weird sense after a bit of analysis.

And then there is the “creature” (no spoilers there; the creature and its special effects creator, Carlo Rambaldi are already announced in the title credits); a slimy octopus-like monster that appears in some 3-4 scenes. But unlike other B-horror films in which such creatures usually slither around, attacking people, this creature just sits there, which is a welcome relief. Its origin and purpose of existence become clearer as the blood-soaked climax of the film approaches.

There are a few redeeming qualities in “Possession”, like the aforementioned, deliberately equivocal plot that offers some good food for thought and room for multiple interpretations, and a couple disturbing moments, like the scene in the subway when Anna experiences a violent seizure of sorts like she is possessed by an unseen power…a terrific display of an uninhibited and energetic performance in that one scene wins Adjani all the points she deserves (and only she deserves points, if at all) in this otherwise doomed venture.

Score: 5/10.