À trois, on y va (2015)
Directed by Jérôme Bonnell

Film Review

With his sixth film, director Jérôme Bonnell takes a flying leap into his first romantic comedy and acquits himself with a film that is every bit as tender and thoughtful as his previous, more seriously minded, comedy-dramas.  À trois, on y va adopts the well-worn device of the classic French love triangle, a kind of Jules et Jim (1962) for our times, and uses this as a crude but effective mechanism to direct the sentimental education of three disparate characters as they each struggle to come to grips with what love really is - by systematically working their way through all of the permutations that are available to them.  Somewhat lighter and saucier in tone than the director's previous film, Le Temps de l'aventure (2013), indeed veering to outright farce in places, this latest Bonnell offering deals just as delicately and astutely with the complex theme of amour.

À trois, on y va is closer in style to the playful comedies of Emmanuel Mouret - Changement d'adresse (2006) instantly springs to mind -  albeit with a slightly bitter edge to it and more in the way of the melancholic introspection that has become Bonnell's hallmark.  The characters are a tad archetypal at first but we soon warm to them as they are are played with charm and sincerity by three highly talented performers.  Anaïs Demoustier, Félix Moati and Sophie Verbeeck are comparative newcomers to French cinema but, judging by their pleasing contributions here, they each look set for bigger and better things.

Humorous situations abound as Mélodie (Demoustier at her most mischievous) tries to keep her two-timing antics under wraps - cue no end of Feydeau-style running about and hiding in cupboards.  Things settle down a little once the characters' secrets have come out into the open and they opt for the sensible compromise of the classic ménage à trois, proving that an old adage definitely needs revising for the new millennium: two's company, but three's far more fun if you have a big enough bed.  In the end, it is the film's abundance of tasteful eroticism that serves it better than its slightly forced comedy, and whilst the soul searching does get a little heavy in places the spontaneity of the writing and performances ensures that the film never goes stale or outstays its welcome.  À trois, on y va may be Jérôme Bonnell's lightest film to date, but that doesn't mean it is lacking in substance.  It's just a more cheerful variation on the theme that is dearest to the director's heart - individuals trying to make sense of this crazy thing called love.

Film Synopsis

Michel, a veterinary surgeon, and Charlotte have been together for many years.  Still very much in love, they move into their own house in Roubaix in northern France and they could not be happier.  With Michel away attending a field trip, Charlotte embarks on a passionate love affair with her best friend, Mélodie, a busy lawyer.  When he returns home, Michel immediately notices something strange in his partner's behaviour.  Convinced that she has taken a lover in his absence, he goes out and does the same.  The woman he selects for this purpose is none other than Mélodie.  For a while, Charlotte and Michel carry on being unfaithful to each other, both blissfully unaware that they are carrying on a romantic liaison with the same person.  When finally the truth dawns on them they come up with an inventive solution.  Why not let Mélodie come and live with them in their house?  For a time the three friends have a happy ménage-à-trois but is the arrangement really going to stand the test of time...?