Lady Jane

The subject of the friends who meet again and whose friendship is put to the test was often broached by the director,notably in "ki lo sa " and "Dieu vomit les tièdes " ;what the heroes did not do in the latter (a square deal for the underdogs) , the threesome (instead of a foursome) did it , a la Robin Hood : they stole jewels and furs and gave them away to people from the wrong side of Marseille town : this is the first sequence when "lady Jane " dreams of her past ,all wearing masks of Jean Marais in "le bossu " (the hunchback).

But Guédiguian's art does not favorably apply to the thriller : he and Philippe Lioret are directors who shuns the feel good ,the politically correct side which mars the French scene;it works in the psychological drama with social and/or political concern ( "les neiges du kilimandjaro" " gloria mundi " "voyage en Arménie" "une histoire de fous" ) . It's much less effective in a thriller : the plot is hackneyed ("something you did long ago ,now you've got to pay the price ), the story hard to catch up with ,and Ariane Ascaride ,a highly talented actress and the more compassionate face of the contemporary French cinema ,here reminds me of an expressionless Annie Girardot ,another great actress of yore , losing her own personality in the process.

It's obvious that the whodunit, the thriller , does not interest the director ;but the frames of mind (all in all,what are we living for?) , the characters' soul-searching and their friendship are only skimmed over .Always using the same actors (and I like Meylan and Darroussin is one my favorite contemporary actors)is a double edged sword :with weak material ,they have a tendency to repeat their tricks.