THERESE DESQUEYROUX (2012)

Genre: Drama
Director: Claude Miller
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Gilles Lellouche, Anais Demoustier
RunTime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 12 December 2013

Synopsis: The year is 1926. In the Landes region, free-spirited Thérèse Larroque, the daughter of a wealthy pinery owner and radical-socialist politician, marries Bernard Desqueyroux, another pinery owner. Although she does it half-heartedly, she thinks that marriage may help her to "sort out all the ideas in her mind". But her disappointment is great. Her wedding night is all but fascinating and when she becomes pregnant she realizes the baby matters more to Bernard than herself. While Thérèse stifles in her husband's beautiful residence among stiff in-laws who do not think high of her, ideas keep on roaming her mind.

Movie Review:

The Audrey Tautou we know is an angel, thanks to her international breakout Amelie (2001). In that film directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet, Tautou played a shy waitress in a whimsical setting, a carefree girl who changed lives of those around her for the better. Ever since then, we associated the French actress with delight, merriment and all things nice. Yes, she may have taken serious roles in films like A Very Long Engagement (2004), The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Coco Before Chanel (2009), but nothing can beat the joyless role in this drama film adapted from the Francois Mauriac novel of the same name.

The 37 year old actress and model plays an unhappily married woman in this 110 minute film set in the late 1920s. She makes a marriage of convenience to a bourgeois landowner and quikly settles down in a family property located in a vast area stretching over acres of pine forests. You can imagine the pain she goes through amidst the picturesque landscape, giving the award winning actress plenty of opportunities to exhibit her acting. The poor protagonist’s life gets worse – she becomes stifled by the monotony of her life and the birth of a daughter doesn’t help. What follows is an unfortunate turn of events that involve attempted poisoning, dishonour and a desperate effort to break free of a miserable life.

From the plot, one can tell there is little happiness in this movie. This probably explains why the local distributor has decided not to market the title, especially during this festive season. There are also limited screenings, making this an almost obscure film locally. That said, this isn’t such a bad production. After all, it closed the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened in competition for the prestigious Palme d’Or. This also marks the last work from French filmmaker Claude Miller (La Petite Lili, A Secret), who died in April last year.

Tautou delivers a competent performance again, tackling the role of an emotionally flustered woman who seems to be helpless against the gloominess of life. She is restrained in this role, and one scene where the mentally broken titular Therese puts on makeup to welcome her guests will leave you gaping in sadness. This poignantly reminds you of how you put on a brave and sometimes pretty front to face your wretched little life. Pessimistic perspective of looking at life, but honestly stark. Tautou is joined by Gilles Lellouche (The Players, Little White Lies) as her rich husband and Anais Demoustier (Elles, The Snows of Kilimanjaro) as her best friend cum confidante. While the supporting characters are not as richly written as the protagonist, there is grace as the cast puts on fine performances.

This film is definitely not for the popcorn munching movie goer. It is a typical European arthouse affair, with very little excitement for viewers to embrace. Visually pleasing, there is really nothing much to offer other than a tragic portrait of an insignificant life. The almost dour viewing experience won’t go down well for everyone, so unless you are in the mood for seeing the hopelessness of life, you may want to sit this one out. 

Movie Rating:

(Fueled by competent performances, this melodrama takes a look at the hopelessness that is life)

Review by John Li