Mauvais genres (2001) - film review

When a Belgian professor is arrested for molesting children, his son, Bo, is hassled by the police into testifying against him.  Years ago, Bo laid a charge against his father – but no one believed him.  Now in his mid-twenties and a transvestite, Bo mistrusts the police and is unwilling to cooperate with them.  However, cooperate she must when a serial killer begins to prey on prostitutes and cross-dressers in Brussels.  Police chief Huysmans begins to suspect that Bo is the killer, since she is connected with several of the victims.   As the murders continue, Bo becomes obsessed with her rough-cut neighbour, Johnny, whose sordid life revolves around drugs, sex and pimping.  Although he treats her with contempt, Bo cannot help but be drawn to Johnny, as though their destinies were inextricably entwined…

Mauvais genres marks a welcome return to the film noir style policier that was so popular in France in the late 1970s.  Director Francis Girod does a good job of breathing new life into a familiar genre, creating a film with a fresh, distinctive look, but which clearly evokes the great French thrillers of the past.   However, it is far from perfect.

Like so many thrillers, the thing which lets the film down is its plot.  Based on a successful crime novel, the film attempts to tell too complex a story in too confined a space populated by too many complex characters.  It is not long before the narrative gets its various storylines totally tangled, the result being a frantic scramble to unravel the mess in the last five minutes.  This is a shame, because the film handles its suspense elements rather well – perhaps too well, as the denouement feels like something of a major let down.  Whilst big on style, the film is weak on exposition.

What gives the film its "wow factor" is the extraordinary contribution from Robinson Stévenin.  His portrayal of a transvestite (who is one snip away from becoming the woman he/she longs to be) is worthy of a Greek tragedy, so poignant yet so resilient.   Transvestites and transsexuals are rarely treated with the respect and sympathy they deserve, in cinema as in all other areas of life, but this film goes some way to portraying them in a positive light, with compassion, depth and honesty.  Stévenin’s convincing performance was justly rewarded with the Best Promising Actor César in 2002, no doubt the first milestone in a great acting career.

© James Travers 2005

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