Pourquoi pas! (1977)
Directed by Coline Serreau

Film Review

Although it feels slightly dated now, Coline Serreau's second full-length film (her first fictional work after her documentary Mais qu'est-ce qu'elles veulent?) is an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek piece which was actually rather daring for its time (bisexuality was pretty taboo in cinema even in France of the 1970s), although it found favour with the critics. There are shades of Buñel in the way bourgeois attitudes are portrayed and made fun of, but the film is, for the most part, a pretty conventional French comedy-drama of the period, revolving around that perennial favourite, the ménage-à-trois. 

Whilst Pourquoi pas! doesn't quite hold together as well as some of Serreau's later films - such as the classic comedy Trois hommes et un couffin (1985), romantic drama Romuald et Juliette (1989) and off-kilter road movie Saint-Jacques... La Mecque (2005) - it is an engaging piece with some hilarious moments pepping up the true-to-life narrative.  Doing justice to Serreau's authentic screenplay are some well-judged performances from the three leads. Sami Frey is as mesmerising as ever and works well alongside his co-stars Mario Gonzales and Christine Murillo, in a situation that is vaguely reminiscent of Claude Sautet's César et Rosalie (1972). Impressive as the leads are, Michel Aumont comes close to stealing the film with his touching comic portrayal of a police inspector going through a midlife crisis.

Film Synopsis

A typically French ménage à trois arrangement seems to suit Fernand, Louis and Alexa, three disparate individuals in their late twenties who are each, in one way or another, a fugitive from life.  They live together, enjoying a peaceful existence in a somewhat dilapidated old house.  Fernand takes care of the maintenance of the house - this keeps his mind off his painful separation from his wife and children.  Alexa has likewise left her partner, a young businessman, because she was bored with her old life.  Louis, a bisexual musician, left home when he fell out with his parents.  He earns a pittance performing in jazz nightclubs.

Although happy with their new lives, Fernand and his housemates have difficulty earning enough money to pay their rent.  Their landlady, an old woman, is sympathetic, and she allows them to stay on in return for chasing away estate agents who keep pestering her to sell the house.  A police inspector becomes intrigued by the curious threesome - their way of life strangely appeals to him and he soon becomes their friend.  Fernand then meets and falls in love with a young and somewhat mixed-up middleclass woman, Sylvie.  The latter is unsure whether she should join Fernand and his friends.  It is possible that four people can live together?  Perhaps she should give it a go.  Why not...?