Little White Lies

ROSIE ROBSON tells you exactly what she thought of this French drama

Benoit Magimel christophe offenstein French Cinema Guillaume Canet Marion Cotillard

Directed by Guillaume Canet

[rating: 3.5/5]


Little White Lies has all the material to be a great movie, and yet somehow it doesn’t quite work. It is a fractious compilation of mood and genre which at points weakens the clarity of its communication. By the end however, the pieces have fallen into place and it is certainly a movie I think will improve upon re-watching. Little White Lies is ultimately about friendship and the subtle lies ‘friendship’ demands.

We are introduced to a bunch of middle-aged friends who take yearly holidays together. One, Ludo, suffers a motorcycle accident and must recover in hospital. His friends decide to leave on vacation without him so he can “rest up” in their absence. Just before the trip, Vincent (Benoit Magimel) tells his close friend of 15 years, Max – a successful but highly stressed restaurateur – he has fallen in love with him. Max is utterly distraught at the news and the entire vacation suffers as a result of the tension.

The plot vacillates between wine and laughter on twilight beaches (it is French, after all), and the breakdown of relationships and personal lives (see previous bracket). The perennial holiday gap between trying to have fun and actually enjoying yourself is the crux of the film’s tragicomic success.

The lighter scenes are sustained for an unnecessary length. I was twitching in my seat, waiting for the credits to roll by the end of the two and a half hours. The friends’ dynamics however do become incredibly well established as a result, and we feel familiar with each of them by the film’s close. Marie (Marion Cotillard) is the feisty ball-buster of the group, contrasting nicely with the pathetic, puppy-eyed Antoine; who can’t even send a flirtatious text before consulting everyone’s opinion. Éric is the loveable but unfaithful boyfriend who is eventually dumped by the beautiful Léa. The group as a whole is a well-balanced, interesting mix of people, both exposing and healing each others’ flaws.

The nostalgic holiday-making of the first half, although weak dramatically, does include some brilliant comic moments, much of which relies upon Max’s highly-strung energy. His maniacal rage causes several emotionally fuelled crises. The aggression he feels towards his friend Vincent is channelled into an unhealthy obsession with meticulous gardening and weasel-hunting. We are provoked to ask whether Max is in bad mood because bad things happen to him, or whether bad things happen to him because he’s always in a bad mood. The weasels are not given a say in the matter. Karma recurs throughout the movie; Eric tries to shape his luck by saying nice things to one jar of rice and slurring monstrous insults at another. We are left wondering whether people truly reap what they sow.

Cinematographer Christophe Offenstein does a phenomenal job, using aerial and panoramic shots. Kate Reid was not involved in the making of this film. One of Offenstein’s genius moments comes at the beginning: a masterfully rendered uncut shot of Ludo on his motorcycle. The close-up lulls us into his bleary-eyed, yawning view of the world after a long night clubbing. His ensuing accident is a powerful shock to everyone.

The choice of frames elicits critical information effectively throughout. For example, Marie reveals to Vincent she may have once had feelings for him in what appears to be the closeness of privacy. The camera swings round however to reveal Vincent’s wife sitting shyly at the other end of the table, on the cusp of their intimate conversation. The gradual release of information is of absolute importance to the film and its characters. The presence of the children acts as a constant restraining factor to the broadcasting of information and contributes to some scenes of fantastic tension.

The winning element of this film however, is the sheer talent of Marion Cotillard. She displays a full range of emotions with mind-blowing skill. Within thirty seconds she ranges from a straight-faced calm to a teary, emotional mess with complete integrity. Although the plot doesn’t particularly focus on her individual story, her talent demands the attention of a lead. Cotillard has proved in La Vie en Rose her magnificent ability to own a role and Little White Lies is her movie without her even trying.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ6-7VK0LvQ