Versailles Rive-Gauche (1992) - film review

Having made meticulous preparations that will allow him to create the best possible impression, Arnaud impatiently awaits the arrival of his new girlfriend Claire in his shoebox Parisian apartment.  His bowels have no sense of occasion and just as he is seated on the lavatory who should arrive on his doorstep but the charming creature he had been hoping to seduce with his erudition and sophistication.  Unable to flush the toilet, as this will betray a less than elegant prelude to his planned evening of romance, Arnaud silently eases himself out of the cubicle and greets Claire with the simulated innocence of a serial killer who has just hidden two or three badly mutilated bodies under the floorboards.  He is then thrown into a sudden panic when the object of his fancy says she wants to use his toilet.  Showing the ingenuity of his hero Tintin, whose exploits cover most of the wallspace in his tiny living space, Arnaud immediately calls up his brother and concocts an elaborate ruse that will allow Claire to use the toilet without her ever suspecting that he has just availed itself of its function.  Naturally, the plan goes disastrously awry and Arnaud’s quiet romantic evening for two soon mushrooms into a nightmare of epic proportions...

Bruno Podalydès made a highly promising start to his filmmaking career with this quirky little comedy, the first instalment in a loose trilogy of films involving the three train strains at Versailles - the other two being: Dieu seul me voit (Versailles-Chantiers) (1998) and Bancs publics (Versailles Rive-Droite) (2008).  Despite having next to no money to make the film (most of the cast and crew lent their services for free), Podalydès crafts a polished and highly idiosyncratic piece of cinema which is both entertaining and horribly true to life.  In both its style and subject matter, Versailles Rive-Gauche feels oddly like a Nouvelle Vague parody of a Woody Allen film, a whimsical delight whichever way you look at it.

Podalydès' brother Denis is perfect for the part of the Tintin-obsessed neurotic who resembles a Gallic version of Mr Bean; not only is he funny (without even seeming to try), he compels us to sympathise with his character’s tragic plight as his carefully planned evening of microwave Moussaka for two and Hergé-themed conversation is railroaded by all his friends and acquaintances, just because he wasn’t brave enough to flush the lavatory.  Denis Podalydès, along with several other actors in this film - Isabelle Candelier, Philippe Uchan, Michel Vuillermoz, etc. - would feature in many of the director’s subsequent films and became familiar faces in French cinema.  A commercial and critical success, Versailles Rive-Gauche is one of Bruno Podalydès' most popular films and scooped several prestigious awards, including the Best Short Film César in 1993.

© James Travers 2011

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