BAS LES MASQUES!

The French Riviera. A magical place, magnetic in its refined beauty, but which, behind its splendor, can hide disturbing aspects. Just as in his time the great Jean Vigo composed in  "À propos de Nice" (1930).

The Côte d'Azur - and, specifically, the city of Nice - has proven itself time and time again over the years as the perfect location for love stories and successful noirs (in full tradition with French cinema, after all). The last of the directors who, therefore, let himself be inspired by this paradise is Nicolas Bedos with Masquerade, presented out of competition at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

Masquerade – Thieves of Love, is an adrenaline-filled thriller, but also a singular love story, due to a constant and desperate need for affection, one that many of the protagonists have never known during their lives.

The story   is that of young Adrien (played by Pierre Niney), once a successful dancer, but who, due to an accident, had to leave his profession. The young man therefore lives on the French Riviera, at the expense of the charming but no longer young actress Martha (Isabelle Adjani). She is just happy to have him as a companion, despite knowing that he is not in love with her. Things suddenly change when, during a party at Martha's house, Adrien meets the beautiful Margot (Marine Vacth). Between them it will be love at first sight.

Adrien and Margot have much more in common than it initially seems: both, in order to survive, usually defraud people much older than them by embarking on unlikely relationships, where they inevitably end up feeling even more alone.

But what would happen if, together, they had to devise a plan to finally set them "free"?

Masquerade leads us by the hand into an increasingly intricate labyrinth in which there almost seems to be no way out. A labyrinth that Adrien and Margot built with their own hands and in which they themselves, at a certain point, no longer seem to orientate.

In staging the intrigues and (mis)adventures of the two young protagonists, Nicolas Bedos made use of an agile and dynamic direction, where the characters are put first and foremost in the foreground, each of them looking practically impeccable (even when they look in the mirror after an "involuntary" dip in the pool). Each of them is perfectly placed within a luxurious and glossy context, in which the location itself is treated as a magnetic co-protagonist.

The duo schemes, disguises themselves, steals, betrays. But in this square plot, it's every man for himself: the young lovers also lie to each other and when feelings seem to erupt, they are immediately showered by a thick layer of cynicism.

Men here are all “pigs”, “assholes”, fickle and violent. “We get older, we get bigger, you hit us and you leave,” summarizes Margot. Who, in a particularly disturbing scene, asks her lover to disfigure her. And provokes him with “Be a man!” Hit like a man! » until he complies... as if he then had no choice.

An alternating montage with very tight rhythms (well emphasized by an appropriate musical commentary), does the rest and makes this Masquerade - Thieves of Love become a very refined thriller, which almost reminds us of some of the "past glories" of François Ozon.

Let’s agree: although it is a successful and perfectly enjoyable product, this fourth feature film by Nicolas Bedos does not represent anything new within the contemporary cinematographic panorama.

But that's it.

In any case, in its practically impeccable packaging and with its robust and flawless script, the present Masquerade can give us two abundant hours of adrenaline-filled twists, all seasoned up with a welcome touch of irony and self-irony.

And this, as we know, is no small matter.

 

Original title: Masquerade

Director: Nicolas Bedos

Country/year: France / 2022

Duration: 134'

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Crime, Romance

Cast: Charles Berling, François Cluzet, Emmanuelle Devos, Marine Vacth, Pierre Niney, Isabelle Adjani,

Screenplay: Nicolas Bedos

Photography: Laurent Tangy

Editing: Clément Selitzki, Anny Danché

Music: Anne-Sophie Versnaeyen

Producer: Marie de Cenival, Kristina Zimmermann, Jérôme Seydoux,

Production company: Pathé, Les Films du Kiosque, Télé Monté Carlo (TMC), Umedia, Orange Studio, Hugar Prod, Fils Prod, Canal+, TF1 Films Production, Ciné+, TF1

Release date: 03/01/2023

By Giulia D