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THE BLUE ROOM Send This Review to a Friend
It has been some days since I saw “The Blue Room,” a much-anticipated attraction of the 2014 New York Film Festival, and I’m still trying to figure out exactly what happened and where the truth lies. But that’s the point. In Mathieu Amalric’s superb film made from the book by the master, George Simenon, the pleasure lies in the sophisticated, expert spinning of the suspenseful story and teasing you to wonder about it after the final scene. There’s also the immense appeal of the acting, notably by the stars, Amalric and Stéphanie Cléau, who also collaborated on the screenplay.
The beginning is a knockout. We find Julien Gahyde (Amalric) and Esther Despierre (Cléau) in a sensual love-making tryst in a hotel bedroom. As director, Amalric has given himself the nude scene with Cléau, who happens to be his real-life partner, so the intimacy may come more naturally even before the cameras. (In a press conference at the Festival, Amalric noted that there was a lot of laughter to relieve tension.)
The film flips back and forth in time and we learn the provocative essentials as it goes along. Both lovers are married, Julien to Delphine (Léa Drucker), with whom he has a daughter, Esther to the owner of a pharmacy. It is a recipe for trouble, especially given the respective personalities of the adulterers.
Jump to Julien’s arrest. A murder trial ensues with both Julien and his lover accused, and we see them in the dock together. Cléau is expert in bestowing smug looks on Esther’s face that alone could kill. Amalric also has the ability for expressions that tell much about what is either simmering or raging inside him.
To tell you much more would spoil the experience for you. As more and more develops, with clues dropped along the way to enlighten or confuse you, “The Blue Room” becomes a crime film delight that should have people talking about it.
Everything clicks in the manner of telling, the cinematography, the settings, acting by the stars and supporting players, the editing, and the right music in the right places. You may feel frustrated at the end because all is not wrapped up for you, but you will have had the enjoyment of seeing a sleek, thoroughly engrossing mystery that clocks in at only 96 minutes. A Sundance Selects release. Reviewed October 3, 2014.
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