Crustacés et coquillages (2005)
Directed by Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau

Film Review

Anyone who enjoyed the eminently likeable 2000 film Drôle de Felix will not be disappointed by this similarly thoughtful sex comedy from the same director-writing team,  Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau.  With some clever writing and direction, Crustacés et coquillages avoids the usual tired clichés and situations that pollute many similar films and feels like a real breath of fresh air, taking a witty and incisive look at sexual ambiguity in an era when all taboos are now well and truly taboo.  The film is fun but it is also sincere, with believable, well-drawn characters fighting their way through situations that we can all recognise.  It combines the poetry of Rohmer, the emotional realism of Doillon and the magic of Demy, making a dish that is both savoury and satisfying.

All that a well-written and well-directed film needs to be a great film is a great cast, and Crustacés et coquillages certainly does not fall down in this department.  Valeria Bruni Tedeschi is the ideal choice for the part of Béatrix, a flighty, fully liberated idealist who thinks she can have her cake and eat it when it comes to having an extra-marital affair - not a realistic proposition when the mystery lover turns out to have the sexual appetite that a field of nookie-mad rabbits would be hard pressed to match.  As the sexually muddled Marc, Gilbert Melki gives a well-judged and sympathetic performance that maintains a sense of realism when the world around him (and inside him) takes on the character of a badly scripted farce.  Jean-Marc Barr is surprisingly convincing in the part of Didier - he has seldom been this good since his memorable performance in Luc Besson's Le Grand bleu (1988).  It is worth noting that there are also some fine contributions from the supporting cast, including Edouard Collin making a respectable film début.  It is a perfect collection of ingredients - for a truly sumptuous repast.

Film Synopsis

One year, 40-something Marc decides to spend his long summer holiday in the region of the South of France where he grew up.  He brings with him his loving wife Béatrix and his two troublesome adolescent offspring, Charly and Laura.   The latter soon disappears off to Portugal with her biker boyfriend, and her place is taken by Martin, a friend of Charly.  Béatrix immediately jumps to the conclusion that her son Charly is gay and tells Marc, who appears perturbed by this revelation.  In truth, Charly is adamant that he is not gay, much to the chagrin of Martin who (a) is gay and (b) is madly attracted to Charly.  Béatrix's attentions are soon switched from her son's sexuality to her own feminine wants when her secret lover Mathieu suddenly appears, along with his inexhaustible libido.  Oblivious to his wife's infidelity, Marc has a comparatively uneventful holiday, until his former gay lover Didier springs out of nowhere and rekindles an old flame...

© James Travers

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