★ 7 / 10
You can just imagine the scenario. "Bernard" (Gerard
CinemaSerf
You can just imagine the scenario. "Bernard" (Gerard Depardieu) is living quite contentedly with his wife "Arlette" (Michèle Baumgartner) and their young son…
You can just imagine the scenario. "Bernard" (Gerard Depardieu) is living quite contentedly with his wife "Arlette" (Michèle Baumgartner) and their young son when they get new next-door neighbours. "Philippe" (Henri Garcin) and wife "Mathilde" (Fanny Ardant). Well ardent might have been a more appropriate spelling as it turns out that "Bernard" and "Mathilde" have a bit of history that time hasn't quite satiated. Ostensibly, they present a friendly front to their respective families and neighbours, but we soon appreciate the things are smouldering and that events eight years ago did not end well - for either of them. With their behaviour becoming more erratic and tensions mounting, well who knows what's going to happen next. This might be my favourite Depardieu performance as he really does thrown himself into the role body and soul, and with Ardant delivering an equally impassioned characterisation we are presented with a lively, tempestuous and at times quite visceral series of scenes as things spiral out of control. I'm not always a fan of narration but here, the sparing use of commentary from local tennis club boss "Madame Jouve" (Véronique Silver) helps fill in the gaps but also lets off some of the steam - physically and metaphorically, as the story becomes more involved. Talk about neighbours from hell...!
★ 7 / 10
Polarising Passions...
Xstal
A pair of spinning magnets, correspondingly attract, then rotate a little further, universally detract, pulling one way for a while, as they slowly reconcile…
A pair of spinning magnets, correspondingly attract, then rotate a little further, universally detract, pulling one way for a while, as they slowly reconcile, then pushing, pushing, pushing, until both of them retract.
It's a can't live with you, can't live without you tale, but you've seen it many times before, as it's hoisted many sails, the difference this time round, is the lady is profound, a performance of some standing, lifts it right up off the ground - but apart from the adorable Fanny Ardant there isn't a lot else to get too excited about, although the rest of the ensemble perform their roles adequately and Gérard Depardieu is more than believable in his highly volatile moments.