La Fille de Monaco (2008)
Directed by Anne Fontaine

Film Review

There is a piquant tongue-in-cheek irony to Anne Fontaine's latest tragicomic exploration of desire and sexuality, as once again we see the stale calm of respectable bourgeois life wrecked by a tsunami of dark and mysterious passions.  But it is irony tinged with complacency, and this risks making the film resemble a parody of some of Fontaine's earlier, more earnest efforts.  With its savoury mélange of romance, eroticism and dark humour, La Fille de Monaco has some obvious similarities with Fontaine's previous Nathalie... (2003), although here the protagonists who swap salacious accounts of their bedroom exploits are male and the storyline, whilst not particularly well structured or convincing, has a little more substance.  The plot also has a high degree of overlap with Claude Chabrol's recent La Fille coupée en deux (2007), although this is entirely fortuitous; thematically and stylistically, the two films could hardly be more different.

With performers of the calibre of Fabrice Luchini and Roschdy Zem, the film is pretty well insulated against failure, although the abundance of clichés, plot contrivances and some painfully superficial characterisation pose a challenge even for these talented thesps.  Former model and TV weather presenter Louise Bourgoin received a César nomination in 2009 for her promising screen debut in this film but, let down by a weak script, she fails to make her character anything more than the stereotypical empty-headed bimbo that she is on the printed page.   Some parts of the film are strong - the Luchini-Zem exchanges are to be savoured as they are both witty and incisive - but equally there are parts which drag interminably and could benefit from the scissors treatment. 

Whilst it may not be as satisfying and substantial as Anne Fontaine's previous films, La Fille de Monaco is not without charm.  What deficiencies it has appear to lie almost entirely in the scripting department.  The direction and acting are generally beyond reproach and Fontaine once again assures us that she is one of France's most capable and engaging filmmakers.   Doubtless the film will appeal most to devotees of this director, who appears to be on a one-woman crusade to probe the mysteries of sex with her characteristic wry humour and the unflagging determination of a bloodhound on steroids.  However, the main reason for watching the film is that it provides Fabrice Luchini with what is possibly his meatiest role in a decade, and he certainly does it justice (excuse the pun).

Film Synopsis

Bertrand is a remarkably successful lawyer who cannot resist the challenge of defending a seventy-year man charged with murder.  Arriving in Monaco, Bertrand is surprised when he is promptly supplied with a butch bodyguard, Christophe, to ensure that he comes to no harm as he goes about his business.  It seems that his client has some very unforgiving enemies.  In any event, Christophe turns out to be an amiable companion - he is discrete and admires the cultural polish of others, even if he is singularly lacking in this department.

Bertrand is giving a television interview when he comes into contact with a stunning weather girl called Audrey.  The instant they meet the lawyer cannot help falling head over heels in love with her, which is a bit unfortunate as she happens to be his bodyguard's ex-girlfriend.  Another thing that Bertrand has yet to discover is that the sensationally seductive Audrey is insanely ambitious to get on in life, and she has yet to discover the meaning of the word 'scruple'...