This is a delectable story about various characters whose paths cross in unusual ways. The film begins with an auto driver furiously rushing through the streets of Paris at night, violating numerous traffic rules. A high-speed drive through an underpass, with the mesmerizing stripes in a lane-separating gore, evoke the manner of Lady Di's fatal crash years before. When Haguette (Audrey Dana), a hairdresser, claims to have done Lady Di's hair, one wonders if the director inserted the underpass scene with that in mind. The movie goes a little overboard in presenting the beauty of the female leads: After a heated quarrel with her husband, Haguette is stranded at a highway fuel station where she spends several lonely hours. Then after a lift by a stranger, she gets out of the car, and lo and behold, her hair and makeup are perfect. What magic mascara that doesn't smudge is she wearing? Similarly for the best-seller author Judith (Fanny Ardent): soft focus presents her visage in perfect form. The director, whose film themes tend to focus on love, can perhaps be forgiven for such liberties. The director is best at keeping the viewer guessing. Is the stranger who gave Haguette a lift the pedophile who attracts his victims by doing magic tricks? Just what are the two perfect crimes described in the latest novel by Judith? The packaging of the DVD at Blockbuster seemed new, so perhaps it just came to the U.S. market. The DVD contains a bonus section that reviews Lelouch's film career. This added feature contains little-known tidbits, like the fact that his first several films were failures. His success, at age 27, with "Un homme et une femme" launched him into a career of some 30 films.
Review of Roman de gare
