Film Review
Whilst it occasionally struggles to get beyond the familiar
clichés and at times comes across as a seriously low budget TV
cop show,
Un roman policier
is a strangely compelling piece that brings a fresh, feminine
perspective to a familiar genre. In her first feature, director
Stéphanie Duvivier crafts a distinctive film noir policier that
succeeds in getting under the skin of its protagonists rather than
being simply another formulaic crime drama. The world that
Duvivier draws us into, with her minimalist but highly effective
mise-en-scène, is one that is unremittingly bleak, where racial
tensions are as visible within the police service as they are between
the police and the wider community. This is no place for a woman,
we may think. Yet the main female character is the toughest of
the lot, having to cope not only with the travails of her work, but
also some pretty serious personal issues, not least of which is an
infatuation with a junior colleague.
That
Un roman policier was
made on a paltry budget is evident from its far from perfect
presentation. Yet this actually works to the film's advantage and
gives it a cold realism which is often lost in more expensive crime
dramas where the director has more scope for fancy stylisation and
escapist action sequences. Unable to hire any big name actors,
Duvivier cast instead some remarkably talented relative unknowns, all
of whom are likely to become better known as a result of this
film. As the lead protagonists Emilie and Jamil,
Marie-Laure Descoureaux and Abdelhafid Metalsi both turn in a
compelling, highly nuanced performance which subtly exposes their
characters' inner traumas. Hiam Abbass and Théo Trifard
are also worth mentioning for their arresting (no pun intended)
supporting contributions. The only cast member who is likely to
be recognised by the majority of those who see the film is Olivier
Marchal, although the script does not allow him to make much of an
impression. Whilst its production imperfections are all too
visible,
Un roman policier
still manages to be an absorbing drama, one that takes us into some
dark places that the policier genre has hitherto tended to avoid.
Stéphanie Duvivier shows immense promise
as a director and we can expect to hear a great deal more about her,
and her leading actors Descoureaux and Metalsi, in the years to come.
© James Travers 2011
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Film Synopsis
Lieutenant Emilie Carange leads a small police station in a suburban
district with a high immigrant population. After one of her
officers is killed in a raid, she is assigned a trainee cop, Jamil
Messaouden, and she wastes no time in indoctrinating him in her less
than orthodox police methods. Although Jamil is far from being
the perfect recruit, the sexually frustrated Emilie finds him utterly
desirable, and she finds it hard to conceal the fact. Meanwhile,
Viard, a more experienced cop in the anti-drugs squad, half-heartedly
pursues an investigation into a drugs dealing ring. Despite
evidence from an old Arab woman, he seems unwilling to act. But
soon he and his team are caught up in an affair that will test their
resources to the limit...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.