Victoria (2016)
Directed by Justine Triet

Film Review

After her fairly innocuous debut piece La Bataille de Solferino (2013), a minimalist drama set during the 2012 French presidential election, Justine Triet opted for a complete change of tack for her second film, which takes a zanily screwball approach to a portrait of a modern woman in the throes of a middle-life crisis.  Looking like a collaboration piece from Woody Allen and Blake Edwards, Victoria (released to the English speaking world with the somewhat ironic title In Bed With Victoria) is yet another attempt by a French filmmaker to mimic the classic American rom-com, this evidently being the latest big craze to hit French cinema.  Derivative though it is, this particular 'homage' stands out from the crowd on account of its cracking script, its skilful direction and some marvellous performances from a cast that positively bristles with charm and talent.

One-time weather girl and now highly successful screen actress Virginie Efira is ideally suited to play the neurotic blonde of the film's title, a constantly battling woman who is only victorious within the confines of her professional life.  The film isn't just written for laughs, it does have a serious side, so this gives Efria the opportunity to make her character an authentic example of the modern career woman, one who is too busy focussing on her work to find any satisfaction in the bedroom department.  Hers is a very Woody Allenesque type of character (you can readily imagine Diane Keaton milking the role to death) - ballsy, alluring, but hopelessly ill-equipped for the challenges of adult life, especially where men are concerned.  With an embittered ex-husband determined to wreck her career, a slightly creepy client (Melvil Poupaud) prepared to make her a laughing stock by turning his trial into a circus, and a live-in weirdo-cum-house-slave (Vincent Lacoste) lusting after her whilst doing her odd jobs, she certainly has her work cut out holding on to her sanity, let alone her job.

Going by a brief summary of its plot, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Victoria is the silliest kind of comedy, an odd-mix of classic rom-com and absurdist fantasy.  The film certainly has its moments of abject silliness (the trial scene at the end is too ridiculous to be taken seriously) but it also has its sombre side, and there is a poignancy in the heroine's complete inability to sort herself out when the whole male sex seems to be involved in some kind of conspiracy to drive her bananas.  Victoria isn't exactly Joan of Arc but she has the quality of an oppressed martyr about her, even if her downfall is largely the result of her inability to get her life in order.  Fluctuating between realism and farce, the film's chaotic mood swings mirror those of the main protagonist, and as well as being funny the film also delivers a pretty convincing depiction of mid-life crisis.  Scripted and directed with flair, seasoned with some full-bodied performances and just a soupçon of insanity, Victoria is one of the more satisfying French comedies of 2016.

Film Synopsis

Since her egocentric husband David walked out on her, Victoria Spick has been left to bring up their two young children alone - not an easy task when you have a high-pressured career as a criminal lawyer.  Victoria has managed to keep her professional life on course but her love life is a total disaster.  Unable to hook a man by traditional means, she resorts to on-line sites and is invariably disappointed by the results.  Invited to a wedding, she gets to meet up with Vincent, an old friend, and Sam, a smalltime drugs pusher whom she once defended in court.  Badly in need of a job, Sam persuades Victoria to take him on as an au pair.  At least this gives the lawyer more time to concentrate on her work, which now includes putting together a defence case for Vincent, who has been charged with trying to murder his girlfriend.  It will be a challenging case, as the only witnesses who can testify to Vincent's innocence are a Dalmatian and a chimpanzee.  Victoria just about has her life on track when she falls foul of a vindictive campaign to discredit her by her ex-husband, who is determined to make her pay for the pain she has caused him in the past...