Distributor: StudioCanal UK
Release Date: 20th June 2014 (UK)
Rating: 15
Running Time: 117 Minutes
Director: Cédric Klapisch
Cast: Romain Duris, Kelly Reilly, Audrey Tautou, Cecile De France
“Wendy (Kelly Reilly) moves to New York, and Xavier (Romain Duris), her ex-husband, follows her to see their two children. At first he moves in with her lesbian friend Isabelle (Cecile De France) whose child he has just fathered. As if thy wasn't enough old flame, Martine (Audrey Tautou), pays a visit and Xavier marries a Chinese-American in order to stay in the country. It's the third chapter of the Spanish Apartment trilogy after L'Auberge Espagnole (2002) and Russian Dolls (2005).”
I have never seen the “Spanish Apartment Trilogy” but after this viewing of Chinese Puzzle, I think I will go back and watch them. I am a fan of Romain Duris, having seen him in “Populaire” last year (a film which made my top 5 of 2013). The rest of the cast do the best they can with what little some of them have, and all in all, the film is a fun watch.
The film feels really chaotic, it’s a good chaotic though. It makes you see life through Xavier as he makes his life more and more complicated than it has to be. But you sympathize for him because he is doing what he is doing for the sake of his children. He is always changing direction, he never goes from things in a linear fashion, which for the most part is the exact way the film goes. It always goes off on tangent, until it settles down into a more “Hollywood” type of movie.
The film is Brechtian like. Think of that scene in Natural Born Killers when the murder of Mickeys parents is done in a game show. This film does the same thing, it has little asides, this little “Family Guy” style asides which remind you that you are watching a film. It gives you a moment to breath during the film, and allows you to think about what you are watching. Whether it be Xavier talking to an imaginary Historical person, or just the use of googlemaps to show you how he is moving.
Xavier is writing a story during the film, and obviously it is the story of his life as he lives it in the moment. Whether it be the culture clash of the French/American peoples, which is mainly used for comic affect. IT also it kind of like the American Dream, a poor man comes over to America, and tries to make it in the big wild world. He may not end up with millions of dollars, but he ends up with his family.
The three female “leads” are also charming in their own way. The wife who has fallen out of love, and moving on, The female best friend who is like one of the guys, and the one who got away. At one point, they are all sitting down and Xavier looks at them, and you can see that they all mean the world to him, even if they had gone through bad times.
The film is charming, and a good watch, I’m probably gonna make my way through the rest of the trilogy now
Agree/Disagree with my review? Follow me on twitter @rickylovesfilm and we can discuss it.
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