Friday, October 10, 2008

Movie review: A Girl Cut In Two (La Fille coupée en deux)

By John P. Meyer

Esteemed French director Claude Chabrol's endearing new film, A Girl Cut In Two, gives a nod to American auteur Woody Allen in an anecdote told by a nameless fictional celebrity being interviewed on a talk show: it seems the fellow walked into the wrong dressing room and found Woody in his boxer shorts, regarding himself in the mirror.

In a broader sense, Chabrol's story bows deeply to the Woodman's oeuvre, centering as it does on a collection of self-indulgent literati who steadfastly refuse to be satisfied with the relationships in which they are engaged, regardless of how promising or fulfilling they might be. They are fickle, impetuous and emotionally dysfunctional.

The film's story centers on writer Charles Saint-Denis (François Berléand, recognizable to American audiences as the amiable police inspector from the Transporter movies), who lives in the countryside outside Lyon with his lovely and preternaturally indulgent wife, Dona (Valeria Cavalli). Indulgent how? By putting up with her celebrity husband's wandering eye and unapologetic delight in the company of (other) beautiful women. (Did I mention this was a FRENCH film?)

"Say 'allo' to my leetel friend."

Take his agent Capucine, for instance - played by the still-gorgeous-at-42 Mathilda May (who rendered us ga-ga 23 years ago in Lifeforce). And then there's the new focus of his amorous intent, cable channel weather cutie Gabrielle Snow (Ludivine Sagnier, of Swimming Pool and Paris, je t'aime). Gabrielle seems to be a young lady on the make, judging by her hinted-at dalliance with the station manager and her expressed interest in moving up the broadcast career ladder. (Shades of To Die For? You betcha.) But Gabrielle turns out not to be nearly the conniver she at first seems.

She is more the confused, mildly hormonal ingenue than the plotting Mata Hari, as evidenced by the fact that she finds herself falling madly in love with gray-haired author Saint-Denis after meeting him at a signing in her mother's book shop. Charles himself is smitten by the pert, perky blond weather girl, and wastes no time inviting her to an auction he's attending the coming week. Intrigued (and charmed by his habit of quoting famous authors to narrate the vicissitudes of life - an acquired taste, to be sure), she gladly accepts.

"The name's Gaudens. Paul Gaudens."

But the flighty Ms. Snow is also being pursued by a man her own age - if we're willing to stretch a point by calling him an actual man. He's Paul Gaudens (Benoît Magimel), heir to a chemical manufacturing fortune. Paul, the very definition of a fop, is accustomed to people bending over backwards and bowing to his every whim. Paul's mother (Caroline Sihol, in the film's most fascinating and multi-faceted performance) has even provided him with a step-and-fetchit companion who hands him crystal glasses of cognac - and then picks his empties up off the floor after he casts them aside. Paul thinks little of it when Gabrielle gently rebuffs his initial advances; he knows that his money and power will eventually buy his way into her good graces. As it happens, he's right.

But Charles has the immediate inside track, and leverages his advantage by bestowing a lavish present upon the maiden in the form of an obscure illustrated erotic text purchased at the auction they attend together. Directly from the auction house, they proceed to Charles' town flat, where the relationship (break out the bubbly!) progresses to the next - and seemingly ultimate - level.

"A 50-ish married writer, or a foppish chemical plant heir? Whicha deez?"

But there are more depths to plumb (or heights to navigate, depending upon one's sensibilities): Charles habituates an exclusive "gentleman's club" whose patrons engage in group-participation sex shenanigans, and he's keen on introducing Gabrielle to his favored flavor of kink. Eager to please, she assents.

The vacuous Paul - as much the victim of obsessional erotic fascination as Gabrielle - finds himself in a position of advantage after Charles - in a post-coital blue funk - decides that there's nothing more to be gained from his dalliance with the nubile weather girl. And Paul milks it (the advantage, that is) for all it's worth, ending up betrothed to the object of his desire.

It's after Paul's discovery of Gabrielle's treatment at the hands of the depraved author that events spin wildly out of control, leading to a confrontation during a charity function (hosted by Madame Gaudens) that the attendees will not soon forget.

The film ends on a truly goofy note, with the devastated Gabrielle entering into a partnership with her uncle Denis (Etienne Chicot), a performance artist with a taste for stage magic.

At 115 minutes in length, the subtitled French-language A Girl Cut In Two requires a good deal of patience from its viewing audience - but the investment will, for the most part, be rewarded.

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