Moustache (La)

Genre: psychological drama
Director: Emmanuel Carrère
Release: 2006
Studio: Pathé
Rating: -
MBiS score: 6.7/10


Fussing about Fuzz

“What would you say if I shaved off my moustache? ” asks Marc. “I don’t know, answers Agnès. I like you that way. I’ve never known you without it. » On a whim, Marc will get rid of his facial hair but is nonplussed when Agnès doesn’t notice the change. When friends Serge and Nadia don’t oblige him either, our protagonist finds himself in a strange quandary.

When I sat down to watch LA MOUSTACHE, I was expecting a silly comedy but it is in fact an existential thriller that deftly illustrates one of those terrible games everyday life can play on you. Technically, this film succeeds on all accounts. I just loved its clean, modern visuals and set design, its brisk editing and that tragic score by Philip Glass that serves as an ominous mantra. Emmanuel Carrère did a bang-up job as director and the entire cast must be praised also, especially the two leads. Vincent Lindon shows courage as a man suddenly facing the fight of his life and Emmanuelle Devos is at times cunning, frustrating and disarmingly vulnerable.

On the flip side, I believe Carrère erred noticeably with the script, which he based on one of his novels. Marc and Agnès’s story may hold up very well on paper but it doesn’t connect on screen… unless Carrère’s goal was to confuse rather than explain. Warning - spoilers ahead! There is something missing here, something important. The story raises tantalizing questions that it sidesteps crudely, sows a bunch of contradictory hints and discards crucial elements (the pictures taken in Bali and Marc’s passport, for example). By contrast, THE MACHINIST (another nightmarish puzzle to be soon reviewed) provides us with a rationale that makes the journey much more worthwhile. In this case, I found myself hanging on, like Marc ferrying aimlessly between Kowloon and Hong Kong, hoping for an epiphany that never came.

Overall, LA MOUSTACHE wants it every which way and ultimately fails because of its indecisiveness. Trust me, this movie cannot be trusted. Sorry.


MBiS

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