The French film “Read My Lips” has been described as “Hitchcockian” by critics. The word is one of those catch-all slogans advertisers love to blast across posters and trailers.
But from the start, “Read My Lips” fights that unfairly evocative and misleading header, emerging as its own unique beast — emotionally complicated on the surface but rather simple in the end. And that’s a good thing.
The movie, directed by Jacques Audiard from a script by Audiard and Tonino Benacquista, does owe its more obvious cinematic elements to Hitchcock — the voyeurism of “Rear Window” and the lush score of “Vertigo.” But that’s about it.
“Read My Lips” tells the story of Carla Bhem (Emmanuelle Devos), an alienated secretary with an odd disposition and a hearing aid in each ear. After Carla faints from exhaustion at work one day, her boss lets her hire an assistant, who arrives in the form of Paul Angeli (Vincent Cassel), a former thief fresh out of jail. Perhaps recognizing a kindred spirit, Carla continually covers for Paul despite his somewhat obvious ineptitude in the office.
Ultimately, Carla ends up drifting into Paul’s world of dance clubs and shady characters. The ex-con uses her talent for lip-reading in a scheme to rip off a crooked club owner, and intrigue ensues.
The opening moments of “Read My Lips” move along nicely. Bhem and Cassel have an odd anti-chemistry. One might think by these scenes that a quirky love story would
follow, if it weren’t for the ominous atmosphere that lingers. Audiard leaves their eyes in shadow much of the time and often shoves the camera in their faces, revealing every crevice.
It’s this visual scheme that distances “Read My Lips” from anything easily described as Hitchcockian.
Audiard’s camera doesn’t float over the story but keeps a frenetic vision throughout. The camera is often in the mix or darting all over to catch bits of action. The style works
for about three-quarters of the movie. When the story starts to shift from a character study to a low-key heist film, the action needs a boost of rhythm and style that never comes.
The lagging mid-section, however, gives way to a simple yet satisfying payoff. Some welcome suspense kicks in, and the true nature of
Carla reveals itself. In the beginning, Carla appears to be simply a bored, lonely woman seeking a little excitement and a “special someone” — the kind of sexually repressed oddball who spends Friday nights dressing up for dates that never happen, just to see how she’d look if she were going out. But by the end, we see that we weren’t giving her enough credit.
One could argue, perhaps, that Carla ventures to the dark side for the intimacy Paul offers or the excitement his lifestyle offers . But by the end, her true motivations seem less cerebral and more carnal. She doesn’t play along for love or money or even the rush — only the prospect of good, old-fashioned sex.
“Read My Lips” is now playing at the Bijou.
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