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SHALL WE KISS? Send This Review to a Friend
A very French tale, “Shall We Kiss?” is about what happens when an unexpected meeting takes place and is the takeoff point of a story that examines how lives can be turned upside down by succumbing to an impulse that may seem innocent at first but creates the potential for much more. Writer-director Emmanuel Mouret approaches the subject with flair and elegance.
Emilie (Julie Gayet), a designer of fabrics, is on a business trip to Nantes and, having trouble finding a taxi, is befriended by Gabriel (Michael Cohen), who gives her a lift. There is an obvious attraction between them, and they wind up spending time together. As a souvenir, Gabriel would like a kiss, but although inclined to grant his wish, Emilie is hesitant. The reason, she explains, is a story of what a seemingly innocent kiss led to in the lives of friends. He is intrigued, and she finally agrees to tell him the story, which becomes a movie within a movie.
The film is a tease, sort of a “Canterbury Tale,” or in film terms, the kind of story Buñuel might have spun. They wind up in the Emilie’s hotel room, and she recounts what happened. There is a twist, of course, as we learn the details and are treated to flashbacks involving Emilie’s friend Judith (Virginie Ledoyen), her husband Eric (Stefano Accorsi), and Judith’s best friend Nicolas (Emmanuel Mouret doubling as actor as well as writer-director).
Some of what happened borders on silliness, but because of the film’s playful viewpoint, one can accept the plot and enjoy the humor of the amusing presentation, marked by a wink accompanied by the entertaining view of sex and human nature. The acing is excellent all around, and of course, there is the suspense of what happens concerning that proposed kiss. A Music Box Films release.
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