Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Descent into madness? Maybe yes, maybe no., January 9, 2008
This is an absolutely incredible film. Just wonderful.
I read the book a couple of years ago and recently re-read it. As I looked it up, I found a film had been made-- I didn't know about it-- so I immediately purchased a copy.
If you haven't read the book, you must. And, this time, reading the book first is probably a good choice.
I'm baffled that some seem to think the ending was unclear. I think it was very clear. However, I don't want to include any spoilers here. It's exactly as it seems to be. Exactly. So, if you're confused and looking for a hidden meaning, you won't find one. It's exactly as the main character understands it to be at the very end.
The movie starts out with Marc asking his wife, Agnes, if he should shave his mustache. He does, and she doesn't notice. As a matter of fact, nobody notices. When he confronts his wife and friends, they insist that he has not had a mustache for at least 15 years. Obviously, somebody is either lying or going crazy. He is suspicious of his wife and friends for quite a while, but then begins to believe that they are indeed telling the truth, and he is somewhat removed from reality. Again, however, he starts distrusting his wife, since strangers recognize his mustache in older pictures.
Who is telling the truth? Who is insane? The film begins with us clearly seeing Marc's mustache. We also clearly see the hairs he trims, the hairs he washes away in the tub, and the hairs he washes away in his shaving tray. We watch him complete his entire shaving ritual-- first using shaving scissors, then an old-fashioned razor. We see everything through Marc's eyes. We meet his Serge and his wife. We hear Agnes talk about going to Marc's parents for lunch. What is real and what isn't?
Both Vincent Lindon and Emmanuelle Devos do a perfect job here. There isn't constant chatter or dialogue and nuances are delivered through subtle expression. They are both so wonderful-- Lindon in particular.
This movie is not about middle aged angst and it's not about a marriage falling apart nor is it about a man entering a 15 year time warp. It also is not a comedy by any stretch of the imagination-- although, like life, there might be some time you find yourself laughing a bit-- but it's due to the absurdity of the situation and the empathy the characters inspire.
The music is gorgeous and the cinematography beautiful. This is very much recommended.
Note: The ending here is different from the book. The book's ending is a stunner. When I was finished, I just sat there wide-eyed-- not believing what I just finished reading. I re-read the last few pages because it was so unbelievably shocking.
That ending definitely wouldn't have worked here. At the end of the film, I was almost praying I wouldn't have to see what I read in the book. It might have worked visually, but I doubted that it would. Carrere made the right choice here when deciding to change the ending. Again, if you read the book, you wouldn't wonder at all who was right all along or if one of the characters were truly crazy. There is no ambiguity in the book. However, there's no ambiguity here, either. It just hits you with a half a ton of bricks rather than a full ton. And, that's not criticism-- a half ton still knocks you over. Just make sure you realize that the main character understands the truth at the end, and you will understand, too.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT ?", January 14, 2007
A man shaves his "moustache" and his his wife -- or are they lovers? -- insists he never had one. And then things get really strange. Is someone messing with his mind? Or vice versa?
Up to the end, I loved this funny (at first) and finally disturbing French film that slyly forces you to shift the paradigm you think you're in.
How fragile our shimmering realities if some little thing fractures our bubble.
How ephemeral our identities that are held together by nothing more than fleeting reflections of self.
If you're fond of French films like Caché and Lemming, this one is a tasty treat up to a point.
But be warned that no matter how glued you might be to the unfolding Hitchcockian twists, the final ending is a HUGE, FRUSTRATING DISAPPOINTMENT. In fact, it made me angry to be so unsatisfied. There's such a thing too much trimming and editing to achieve some kind of minimalist existential French ambiance. The end of a movie should not leave the viewer scratching his head and muttering "Quoi?"
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Handsome, But Not Clean-Cut, June 17, 2007
The cover of this DVD misleads when it likens its drama to Hitchcock's work. There is actually nothing approaching a Hitchcock level of suspense here. However, the viewer is kept intellectually guessing, ping-ponging back and forth at least through the first part of the film, wondering, "Did the man have a moustache, or didn't he? Is he gaslighting his wife, or is she gaslighting him?"
Like the French language itself, there are so many letters of explanation in this film that don't get pronounced, but that inform the pronunciation of other letters in the words. Director Emmanuel Carrere refers to "ghosts" whose presence is felt, trailing the characters' lives. However again, none of this rises to the level of suspense.
Most of the value of this movie lies in its view of a marriage. This is an adult relationship, different from the kind we see in most American films where one spouse (usually the woman) is shown as mere adjunct to the man's answering call to action. Here both partners are given gravity and tenderness and extension.
Actor Vincent Lindon is especially good at showing a longing bafflement. He doesn't undermine his performance by distancing himself from his character as many Americans might when called upon to play a man who isn't conforming to all gender stereotypes. Here Lindon is unflinching as a man who is not interested in football and who gets lost, almost waif-like, in what might be the complexities of his own imagining.
There's a good director/producer commentary on this DVD, pointing out the ground from which some of the film's mists arise. But this isn't the movie for anyone who demands clear plot or resolution. In fact, the film is almost gratuitously devoid of explanations. But you might feel invited to fill in the tantalizing blanks yourself, to suit your own view.
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