Sur mes lèvres (2001)
Directed by Jacques Audiard

Film Review

With such films as the noirish thriller Regarde les hommes tomber (1994) and the tragicomic wartime drama Un héros très discret (1996), Jacques Audiard established himself as one of the most promising young film directors of the 1990s. Sur mes lèvres continues this impressive trend and amply illustrates French cinema's exceptional talent for reformulating traditional themes and concepts, paying homage to its past glories whilst trail-blazing future avenues.

Sur mes lèvres is Audiard's most complex film to date, an uncompromising mix of hard social drama and contemporary film noir, centred around a partially deaf young woman, Carla, and her ex-crook boyfriend, Paul.  With some very effective cinematic devices (which includes some ingenious use of sound and camerawork), the spectator is drawn into Carla's heart-achingly solitary universe.  It is from her perspective that we see the world, a harsh world populated by cruel misogynists, brutal thugs and empty-headed sluts.

Thanks to a stunning and poignant performance from Emmanuelle Devos (who was awarded the Best Actress César in 2002 for this role), Carla emerges as a totally convincing individual, whose suffering and resentment is all too evident.  The world around her is,  on the face of it,  far less convincing, a distorted mix of stereotype and warped fantasy - but all this is perhaps just an outward expression of Carla's inner torment.

The film's emotional impact stems mainly from the developing relationship between Carla and Paul.  The only thing that the two characters have in common is the place they occupy in this bleak world - both are outsiders who resent their exclusion and dream of a better life - classic film noir material.

Whilst the film is technically brilliant, reaffirming Audiard's skill as a director, the plot leaves rather a lot to be desired.  The first half of the film is very probably the best half, showing us how Carla copes with her fraught office life and revealing the extent of her solitude and bitterness.  Just when the film appears to be succeeding as a forceful and moving social drama it then suddenly goes off in a totally different direction, ending up as a rather inferior crime thriller, in the style of a traditional French polar.   The plot becomes less and less plausible as the film develops and ultimately resembles a very bad dream more than real life.

What is perhaps most remarkable about Sur mes lèvres is that the film somehow manages to overcome such obvious plot weaknesses and still remain a thoroughly absorbing and artistically pleasing work.  The crime thriller elements in the latter part of the film are subordinated, often pushed into the background, whilst the film's focus remains throughout the reactions of its central characters, Carla and Paul, to their increasingly perilous situation.

What could easily have ended up as a mediocre thriller in the hands of a lesser director emerges intact as a compelling and disturbing study in solitude and exclusion, thanks to Audiard's unfaltering artistic flair and some excellent acting performances from Emmanuelle Devos and Vincent Cassel.

Film Synopsis

Carla works for a property development company where, on account of her partial deafness, she is teased and abused by her male office colleagues.  When her boss suggests she recruits a junior assistant, she jumps at the chance and engages Paul Angeli, a roughneck who has just finished a term in prison.  Through her attraction to Paul, Carla allows herself to be drawn into his former underworld life.  Paul plans to steal a stash of money from his gangster boss, exploiting Carla's ability to lip-read from a distance…