MARRIAGE UNDONE BY A CLOSE SHAVE IN `MOUSTACHE'.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic `What would you think if I shaved off my moustache?'' It's a simple enough question, coming in the opening moments of the freaky freak·y adj. freak·i·er, freak·i·est 1. Strange or unusual; freakish. 2. Slang Frightening. freak French thriller titled (what else?) ``La Moustache.'' But somehow you know what's around the corner is going to be anything but innocent and ordinary, given the roiling, inky black water that plays behind the movie's first minutes. Middle-aged Marc (Vincent Lindon Vincent Lindon (born July 15, 1959) is a French actor. He was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He was a lover of Princess Caroline of Monaco from 1990 to 1995. ) has sported a moustache for his entire adult life. Feeling mischievous and maybe suffering from a bout with life's same-old, same-old, Marc shaves his soup-strainer. He can't wait to show the results to his wife, Agnes (Emmanuelle Devos), who earlier said that she wouldn't know Marc without his facial hair Noun 1. facial hair - hair on the face (especially on the face of a man) hair - a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss; "he combed his hair"; "each hair . Turns out, Agnes doesn't even notice that Marc shaved. Neither do their longtime friends, whom they see at a dinner party that night. At first, Marc thinks Agnes is messing with his mind. But when she still hasn't said anything by the end of the night, Marc explodes. He is offended by his wife's elaborate, cruel prank of non-recognition. She is uncomprehending. ``What moustache? You've never had a moustache.'' Director Emmanuel Carrere playfully adapts his own novel for his feature debut and makes the interesting decision to show the film's events entirely through Marc's perspective. This not only heightens the feeling of disorientation disorientation /dis·or·i·en·ta·tion/ (-or?e-en-ta´shun) the loss of proper bearings, or a state of mental confusion as to time, place, or identity. , paranoia and existential crisis This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details. This article has been tagged since September 2007. , but makes Agnes even more of an enigma. Is she committed to Marc -- or does she want him committed? The movie's central mystery becomes increasingly fragmented and ambiguous as it hurtles toward its conclusion, but this much Carrere makes clear -- a husband and wife, no matter how much they love each other, are individuals, inhabiting separate bodies, separate worlds. Couples can have heart-to-hearts every day and still not know each other. Not really. That's how fragile intimacy is. The crisis in ``La Moustache'' engulfs the marriage. Initially, this loving Parisian couple tries to ignore the elephant in the room Not to be confused with White elephant. The elephant in the room (also elephant in the living room, elephant in the corner, elephant on the dinner table, elephant in the kitchen, horse in the corner, 400lb gorilla in the room, etc. -- they go shopping, they go to dinner, they make love. They're committed to getting through Marc's ``delusions,'' but they don't necessarily want to talk about them. To do so could potentially be fatal to their relationship. By the end, Marc is more than happy to live with the unknowable un·know·a·ble adj. Impossible to know, especially being beyond the range of human experience or understanding: the unknowable mysteries of life. and the unsaid in order to restore order and identity. The movie ends happier than Carrere's novel, but it's no cheat. The turbulent dark water remains, ready to engulf en·gulf tr.v. en·gulfed, en·gulf·ing, en·gulfs To swallow up or overwhelm by or as if by overflowing and enclosing: The spring tide engulfed the beach houses. Marc at any moment. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com LA MOUSTACHE - Three stars (Unrated: sexual situations, language.) Starring: Vincent Lindon, Emmanuelle Devos. Director: Emmanuel Carrere. Running time: 1 hr. 22 min. Playing: Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena; Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. . In a nutshell: Man shaves moustache; wife doesn't notice. He thinks she's cruel; she thinks he's crazy. A freaky French thriller about the fragility of intimacy and identity. |
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