Nettoyage à sec (1997) - film review

For the past 15 years a married couple, Jean-Marie and Nicole Kunstler, have run their own dry cleaning business in a French provincial town.  They have no time or money for holidays and their life has become an ordered, monotonous chore.  Things take an unexpected turn when they visit a local nightclub and watch a drag act performed by a brother and sister team, Loïc and Marylin.  Jean-Marie and Nicole find themselves inexplicably drawn to the handsome young Loïc and invite him to live and work with them when his sister abandons him.   Grateful for the security this brings him, Loïc proves to be a hard worker and settles easily into the Kunstlers’ domestic life.  For their part, the Kunstlers gain a new lease of life through Loïc’s presence – mainly because both find him physically attractive.  But whereas Nicole apparently has no qualms about seducing the young man, Jean-Marie feels compelled to restrain his indecent lust – with disastrous consequences.

In one of her best – and darkest – films to date, French film director Anne Fontaine takes that perennial favourite of French cinema, the love triangle, and gives it a whole new perspective.  The film challenges our notions about sexual conformity, merges the boundaries between normal and abnormal sexual behaviour and concludes that sexual orientation is not something that is predetermined, static or controllable.  A lesser director might have been overwhelmed by the possibilities these notions present, the result being a messy, overly provocative piece of political posturing.  To her credit, Fontaine shows great self-restraint and is clearly far more preoccupied with telling a human story rather than simply shocking her audience.  The way in which she broaches the subject of a middle-aged man discovering his bisexuality is dealt with particularly well, showing a surprising understanding of the male psyche.   By avoiding the excesses of directors who dare to tackle similar themes (notably Catherine Breillat), Anne Fontaine proves herself to be a far better communicator of issues relating to sexual identity.

Whilst the film is at one level deeply perturbing it is essentially a conventional film about an unconventional subject, made in the best tradition of the French psychological drama.   The film begins slowly, as most French films do, allowing us time to become acquainted with the main characters.  Gradually, the tension starts to mount, like a steam iron gradually warming up, until a point of uncontrollable climax is reached.  And then pent-up passions suddenly boil over in an instant of horrifying drama, leaving one almighty stain that turns out to be truly indelible.   Yes, the dry cleaning metaphors are perhaps used to the point of overkill, but this does add to the film’s charm, lending it a wry, black comical side.

Intense, well-honed performances from the three principal actors add greatly to the film’s impact and character.  Miou-Miou and Charles Berling are established actors who have won widespread acclaim for their previous film roles.  Both have a reputation for taking on challenging and provocative roles and neither of them disappoints in this film.  Here, Miou-Miou is the personification of a bored yet sexually liberated wife who has no hang-ups about having a fling with a younger man if she has the chance, making a perfect contrast with Charles Bering’s character.  With a maturity that will surprise even his staunchest fans, Berling delivers a truly magnificent portrayal of a man who is barely able to cope with his true sexual impulses, preferring the tepid sanctuary of domicile conjugal to the nuits fauves excesses he may secretly crave.   Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is the contribution from Stanislas Merhar.  In his first film role, this talented young actor comes close to stealing the show as he simultaneously portrays adolescent vulnerability and sexual ambiguity with a conviction that most serious film directors would sell their soul for (indeed, there is a curious Faustian side to this film).  Merhar was justly rewarded with a César in the best male newcomer category for his appearance in this film in 1998.  The film was also nominated for four other Césars, including nominations for the other three principal actors (Miou-Miou, Berling and Mathilde Seigner) and for the best original script.

© filmsdefrance.com 2003

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