Picture Claire

Best thriller movies from 2001

Picture Claire stars Juliette Lewis, Gina Gershon and Mickey Rourke.

Juliette Lewis convincingly plays Claire, a French speaking woman from Montreal who goes to Toronto in search of a boyfriend. She runs into trouble in Toronto when she is mistakenly ID'd as a suspect who murdered a man in a coffee shop. The unusual twist is that Claire does not know a word of English, all she knows is that she's being pursued by the police, a woman who wants something from her (played by Gina Gershon) and a bad man (played by Callum Keith Rennie) who also wants something from her and probably wants to kill her for it. How can Claire figure all this out, get herself out of trouble and still be able to find her boyfriend?

It's not a great film, there are alot of plot holes and weird coincidences. What really shines are some of the exciting chase scenes and the wonderful acting by everyone in the film. Juliette Lewis doesn't speak much, and when she does, it's in French. She is very watchable because one can see all the emotions she is going through. I really felt for her because she was in a strange city and was pretty helpless because there was no one to guide her. Gina Gershon is perfect as the criminal who is desperately trying to get away. Ms. Gershon seems to always play these roles of tough, smart woman and she does it very well in this film. Callum Keith Rennie makes a very smooth, very charming, psychopathic bad guy. He's very charming when he speaks, but one can't help feeling how dangerous and evil he is. I'd give the film an "A" for acting, a "C" for plot, and a "B" for the director because I like the way how he directed and shot this film. There was this one imagery in the film that I love, when Claire goes into a thrift shop and steal a pair of red shoes that reminds me of the ruby slippers in the "Wizard of Oz" and a little dog from the thrift shop starts following her around. Claire's definitely not in Kansas any more!

Claire Beaucage is a quirky young artist from Quebec whose apartment mysteriously burns down. Fleeing to Toronto, she tries to find her ex-boyfriend Billy, with whom she is still infatuated. However, it transpires Claire has gotten out of the frying pan and into the fire, for she is immediately involved in a case of mistaken identity with a seductive femme fatale named Lily Warden. As cops and crooks chase her through Toronto, the French-speaking Claire struggles to communicate in English, find Billy and escape the city alive.

Directed by Bruce McDonald from a script by Semi Chellas, 'Picture Claire' is a flawed homage to film-noir that fails to capture the suspense or charm of the genre. Chellas' narrative is unnecessarily complex, attempting to mimic a Hitchcockian tale of mystery and red herrings in a manner more obnoxious than intriguing. A muddled mess of coincidences, bizarre dream-sequences and cliches, the plot is convoluted and confusing. The characters are all one-note caricatures, lacking development or depth, and Chellas' dialogue is laughably pretentious when it isn't formulaic. Though there are a couple of good scenes and some snappy lines- mostly involving a menacing hoodlum prone to monologues- the narrative is exceedingly underwhelming and disappointing.

One of the few redeeming qualities of the film is Miroslaw Baszak's cinematography, which creates a stylish and atmospheric visual palette that heightens the film's links to film-noir. However, even this aspect is marred by the overuse of the multi-dynamic image technique gimmick, which shows several images shifting simultaneously on right-angled panes within the overall image. This technique- first used by Christopher Chapman in his 1967 film 'A Place to Stand'- supposedly creates a dynamic and immersive effect, but in 'Picture Claire', it only serves to distract and annoy the viewer. The technique is used excessively and arbitrarily, without any regard for the narrative or thematic coherence of the film. Instead of enhancing 'Picture Claire's suspense or charm, it only confuses and frustrates with its flashy superficiality.

Additionally, the score from Paul Haslinger- a former member of Tangerine Dream- is a bland and generic blend of ambient, techno and rock elements that fails to create any suspense or excitement. Often drowned out by sound effects and dialogue, his score doesn't match the mood or style the film is striving towards. Though the closing number- Traffic's 'Feelin' Alright?'- is nicely performed by Juliette Lewis, the song itself is a somewhat inappropriate choice for the film, clashing as it does with the stylish and gritty tone McDonald is trying to foster.

Speaking of Juliette Lewis, though she tries her darndest, she is woefully miscast as Claire. Struggling with the French accent throughout, she never quite gets it right, and seems embarrassed anytime she has to speak. Gina Gershon does much more assured work as the feisty femme fatale Lily, though her talents largely go to waste in the face of Chellas' slim characterisation. Callum Keith Rennie shines as the monologue-spouting mobster, bringing a welcome energy and an intimidating aura that makes watching him on screen a real treat.

The fact that director Bruce McDonald made a documentary called 'Claire's Hat'- detailing his disappointment with the finished product- should tell you all you need to know about 'Picture Claire.' The screenplay is full of faults, the dialogue is consistently underwhelming and the cinematography is overly-stylized. Featuring a miscast Juliette Lewis and a bland soundtrack, there is no real reason to seek out the film; unless you're incredibly passionate about Canadian cinema. Despite a few good performances, 'Picture Claire' has very little to offer viewers. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If it's 'Picture Claire', it's barely worth half that.

Finally, after the many Maclean's articles, bad word of mouth, and even rejection by its own director, Picture Claire was finally released to the public in June 2003, via DVD and Video.

I'm puzzled to see how Alliance Atlantis considered "Texas Rangers" to be worthy of a wide release, while they chose to write off their $11 million investment in the first decently-budgeted Canadian film.

With a pair such as Semi Chellas, who writes "The Eleventh Hour" series on CTV, and Bruce McDonald, one of Canada's most satanic directors with "Roadkill" and "Highway 61" under his belt, how could you go wrong?

They did not. This was a stylish, original movie, which was a treat to watch. Adding to the glamour was seeing some of those little things we take for granted in Ontario, such as passports, drivers' licences, and the Maple Leaf plastered up there on the screen, likely on film for the first time. Paul Haslinger's music score was certainly something new and eclectic, along the same lines as Nash The Slash brought in McDonald's earlier films.

There were a few rough edges - Camilla Rutherford's pointless role, Peter Stebbings' over-the-top dorkiness, Gina Gershon's seeming ineptitude with a garretting wire, Juliette Lewis' slow drawl. But what the heck, I liked it and enjoyed it.

This may be Canadian film's ultimate swan song. Check it out before our country's cultural apathy forces the video store to get rid of it.

This is not the best Bruce MacDonald film, but it is worth viewing once. I'm impressed with the editing, very much so in fact, but the story itself is very predictable. Lewis is good. Gershon is great. I dunno, it's just missing a lot of things that MacDonald is usually good for. I'm unhappy with this film.