Thanks to 2016's exceptional 'Raw,' a personal favorite of mine, and 2021's 'Titane,' an imaginative critical darling, filmmaker Julia Ducournau has within a relatively short span of time made quite the mark on the world of cinema. I'm much less familiar with Virgile Bramley, but he's clearly made the rounds in multiple capacities. To read the very premise of 'Mange,' jointly written and directed, raises a bit of a curious eyebrow, and as one watches it's safe to say that many facets of it are in need of lengthy discussion to dissect, for good and for ill. Be that as it may, all the same I'd be lying if I said this wasn't enjoyable, engaging, and worthwhile on its own merits.
That the film plays fast and loose with eating disorders, fatphobia, and body shaming puts a wary asterisk on the viewing experience, and at most times (especially early on) it is either toeing or crossing a line between meaningfully approaching these topics and exploiting them. In fairness I suppose that's the risk one runs in penning such a story that twists these together with bullying and revenge and flavors the conglomeration as a comedy-drama - one part farce, one part satire, one part serious exploration as everything goes wrong. For good measure throw in tinges of other personal problems and insecurities, gross-out humor, and bits involving sex, drugs, puberty, laws and institutional structure, and still more. To Ducournau and Bramley's credit, more so than not I think I think the resulting mixture is pretty smart, and wryly funny or honestly engaging in turn. The characters are genuine and complicated, the dialogue is sharp and biting, and the scene writing is whole and carefully crafted in shaping an overall compelling narrative.
In some measure, though, I rather believe 'Mange' to be a tad overfull and imbalanced, and possibly unfocused. Emphasizing the point, for all that the title aims to swirl together, the third act rolls around surprisingly quickly in light of how little the story has seemed to actually advance. All the while, what also distinctly comes across is that this didn't really know what it wanted to be. Both the comedy and the drama come and go irregularly and unpredictably; sometimes the proceedings are very light, and at other times extraordinarily dark. Protagonist Laura is painted in turn as a hero, an antihero, and a villain, and not necessarily by way of a specific character arc. Earnest themes are broached, then dropped as the tone switches around again. To all this add some inclusions, not least some instances of camerawork, that while well done in and of themselves are frankly just too on the nose as they appear here, even down to the last seconds.
More than anything else the screenplay needed to be tightened, possibly by omitting an aspect or two, and this would have been enough to help 'Mange' reach another level. I do quite like this feature even as it is, though, and I think everyone turned in fine work to bring it to life. The cast is especially terrific, with Jennifer Decker naturally standing out as Laura, and Elodie Frenck as frenemy Shirley; their performances alone bear a substantial portion of the strength this can claim. Even in only a small supporting part, it's a pleasure to see Garance Marillier illustrating some of her capability before her breakthrough in 'Raw' a few years later. While their writing is imperfect, I think Ducournau and Bramley demonstrate splendid abilities in their direction, and by all means Ducournau has more than proven herself since. And even if I disagree with some particular choices, everyone behind the scenes did great: cinematography, lighting, editing, hair and makeup, production design, and so on. Even the soundtrack is fantastic as far as I'm concerned.
Would that the picture were more strongly centered with a concentrated vision. That's the chief hang-up here, for even as the writing is swell in bits and pieces, the scattered, uncertain feeling it projects is what weighs down the entirety. I still think 'Mange' is a fairly good time, marked by skill and intelligence in every way, and it's suggested most for those who are big fans of those involved. Regrettably, though, its weaknesses trouble it to the point that otherwise I can only offer a soft, modest recommendation.
