la nouvelle vache
Hell
dir. Bruno Chiche; starring Sara Forestier, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Jérôme Bertin
Hell is as superficial as its eponymous character, the nickname of a lost and lifeless rich girl to whom clubbing, sex, cocaine and shopping are routine… until she falls in love (just after her abortion) with Andrea (the quite attractive Nicolas Duvauchelle) • her male alter ego. Thus begins a relationship that quickly descends into mutual destruction.
The film, like the book it is based on, attempts a social analysis of the fruit of the Parisian upper classes and turns out to be clumsy and unconvincing. Precisely for what reason the main character wears clothes that were blatantly unearthed after a rummage through H&M, whilst seeming to shop on Avenue Montaigne is not clear.
Award-winning Sara Forestier acts sincerely and would be quite convincing were it not for her unmistakably banlieusard accent • a little like an East Ender playing a Sloane, and the dialogues that are coldly artificial. It also seems that Bruno Chiche hasn’t quite made up his mind on whether to denounce or sympathise with the social sector in question.
Dramatic music only contributes to the film’s repetitiveness: cycles of clubbing and sex scenes plod into the screen now and again to thicken an already scatty pace. A few mildly funny scenes are entertaining, but Hell remains floppy: it tries to be cynical and turns out cheesy and aims at a buzzing but decadent atmosphere but just looks low budget and hopelessly trashy. A great film for preteens in distress, or people who enjoy mildly erotic sex scenes.
20th Apr 2006