Ce jour-là (2003)
Directed by Raoul Ruiz

Film Review

After some disappointing attempts to widen his repertoire with genres which do not play to his strengths, director Raoul Ruiz makes a welcome return to the kind of film which he truly excels in: the surreal black comedy.  Ce jour-là is classic Ruiz, a film that is original in every sense of the word.  A remarkable cast, which features some of the most respected actors in French cinema, adds greatly to the film's artistic appeal and its entertainment value.  Feeling like an odd synthesis of Chabrol and Buñuel at their best, Ce jour-là is both a well-observed satire on the Swiss bourgeoisie (indeed, Swiss life in general) and a surreal, macabre fairytale in which one's notion of good and evil is masterfully subverted. It is every bit as weird and beguiling as Ruiz's previous flights of fancy, including, Trois vies et une seule mort (1996) and Généalogies d'un crime (1997).

Bernard Giraudeau and Elsa Zylberstein are both excellent as the film's two principal characters.  Giraudeau clearly relishes his role as a chronically diabetic serial killer; although his performance is so over-the-top that he risks going into orbit in a few places, he succeeds in bringing a sense of realism and depth to his part.  It is a pleasure to see this talented actor find his feet in such unfamiliar territory as this.  As the film's heroine - a mad fairytale princess who makes a habit of smashing craniums with DIY equipment - Elsa Zylberstein is perfectly cast and complements Giraudeau's rough animalistic portrayal of insanity à la perfection.   It is a subtle variation on the Beauty and the Beast tale, albeit with far more dark irony - and with considerably more theatrical blood.

Whilst just as anarchistic and tongue-in-cheek as Ruiz's previous expeditions into the black comedy genre, Ce jour-là is altogether a more sophisticated and complex film than the Chilean director has previously attempted.  It is possible to enjoy it at its most basic level,  an off-the-wall farce, particularly if Grand Guignol comedy murders is your thing.

Film Synopsis

Livia is a rich heiress who lives in a grand house in a remote part of Switzerland, resented by her relatives who are jealous of her fortune and desperately want to get their hands on it.  Consulting her runes one morning, Livia is told that this will be the best day of her life.  And so it proves, when a strange man named Emil Pointpoirot turns up unexpectedly in her house.  Livia mistakes him for an angel, but in truth he is a psychopathic killer who has recently escaped from an asylum.  Despite his murderous instincts, Emil takes a liking to the vulnerable young woman and becomes her protector when her greedy relatives show up at the house intent on killing her.  As the bodies start to pile up, police chief Raufer decides to stand by and let matters take their course.  They do things differently in Switzerland...