The Big Picture [DVD]

Another first class, tightly plotted, well cast and superbly directed French art house thriller that lures you in and grips throughout.
If Hitch were alive today, I swear he'd be a Frenchman. They seem to have a knack for making intelligent movies that are visually exciting without having to revert to a whole load of superfluous special effects.
If you enjoyed "Tell No One", "Pour Elle" and the excellent "Plender", you'll love this.
The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because the end is not as strong as the rest of the film.
Enyoy - I did!

'The Big Picture' opens with a wistful and unfulfilled Romain Duris putting on a brave face for the benefit of his work colleagues and family, especially his children. His behaviour contrasts starkly with that of his icily distant wife (Marina Fois). Duris is superb as the husband whose careful juggling of expectations is shattered in a moment of confrontation. He is left with mere seconds to decide what to do, and the course he chooses leaves him constantly looking over his shoulder.

Niels Arestrup plays a deliciously enigmatic drunk and Catherine Deneuve's natural warmth is a delight. The editing makes each scene last no longer than necessary, producing a fast-paced, yet extremely detailed narrative. The ending is quite abrupt but provides a sufficiently logical and satisfying closure to the plot.

DVD extras include a subtitled interview with Douglas Kennedy (author of the novel on which the film was based) and director Eric Lartigau. There is also a 'Making Of' feature, and 'a meeting with' Eric Lartigau, Maria Fois and Romain Duris.

This is a film in which the realism is so intense that I felt completely immersed in the lives of the characters. It is a real find for me and one I shall be watching again with even greater anticipation than the first time.

Paul Exben (Roman Duris) has it all, a lovely wife, great job, bags of cash, great home and yet he seems a bit insecure. Catherine Deneuve plays his boss Anne, she has a terminal illness and is about to leave her controlling share in the company to him. So he is about to gain even more albeit with the loss of a caring friend.

He loves his two children and put on acts of capriciousness to endear him to them, which seems to have the opposite effect on his wife. Then he starts to notice subtle changes in his wife's behaviour; Sarah (Maria Fois) seems to be on a short fuse when ever he is around and more relaxed around a certain other man. This man is a jobbing photographer Gregoire; Paul is a rich amateur who had once held ambitions of being a good photographer himself once upon a time.

Then her sudden new taste for New Zealand `Cloudy Bay' and long lunch engagement gets him more suspicious. Things come to a head at a dinner party where one sauvignon blanc too many leads him to act the oaf. The following day spur of the moment decision start a series of events that even `The A Team' would be hard pushed to put right.

This is a well crafted drama with an under lying current of tension that lends more to a thriller than a life tale. The ever presence of photography runs through out and acts like a thread tying all the disparate parts of the story together.

It is beautifully shot too, with some almost iconic shots and great use of scenery and space. The acting is all well above average and Roman Duris does a particularly good performance. Director Eric Lartigan has made a beautifully filmed, challengingly framed and original piece of cinema. Some may find the plot a bit of a stretch, but it is dealing with a situation that few people would ever find them selves in and I found it very entertaining.