| MURDERERS (Meutrières) |
Inspired by actual events and drawn from an idea that was being developed
by the late filmmaker Maurice Pialat, MURDERERS ultimately has to be
labelled as a disappointment. The final screenplay was co-written by director
Pierre Grandperret and Frédérique Moreau with significant input by its two
leading ladies, Céline Sallette and Hande Kodja.
The movie actually begins promisingly as Nina (Kodja) tries to leave Paris for
Bordeaux. She's given a ride by a lesbian client (Anaïs de Courson) of her
masseuse cousin. The woman is clearly interested in Nina, so she offers her a
place to stay at her family's hotel. There Nina catches the attention of the
woman's hunky brother Yann (Gianni Giardinelli) and earns the disapproval of
her mother (Isabelle Caubère).
Unfolding simultaneously is the story of Lizzy (Sallette), an unstable
19-year-old with an Arab boyfriend (Shafik Ahmad) and suicidal tendencies.
After taking an overdose, Lizzy ends up in the mental ward of a local hospital.
Nina, who is haunted by memories of her strict but loving father (Marc
Rioufol), goes catatonic after a barfight dredges up memories of her father's
death.
Before long, Lizzy and Nina have become fast friends and they decide to
break out of the hospital, leading to a series of adventures on the road that are
less than dramatically interesting. They try to hustle their way with no money,
no destination and no idea of what they are up against. MURDERERS
meanders as the pair travel and encounter various men who mistreat them or
misjudge them. Eventually, they face a life-threatening situation that leads
them to kill.
After the terrific set-up, MURDERERS falls apart and drags. It may very well
be that by working from an incomplete scenario that Pialat was developing,
Grandperret could not fully realize the idea's potential. He was lucky to find the
two actresses who play the leads, with Kodja proving to be the stronger
screen presence. Still, there's something half-formed about the movie. It may
have played better as an extended short rather than as a feature-length film.
Rating: C-
© 2007 by C.E. Murphy. All Rights Reserved.
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| L to r: Céline Sallette as Lizzy and Hande Kodja as Nina in Murderers / Meutrières Patrick Grandperret, 2006; 101 m |