Mortel transfert

"Mortal Transfer" deals with a subject that has been exploited by New York filmers mostly: trials and tribulations of a shrink are usually connected with the Big Apple. Beineix has not directed a motion picture in the past eight years, but it doesn't show. If you are familiar with his films such as "Diva" or "Betty Blue", you don't come to expect humor in his work, but after an intriguing setup, you'll find plenty of it here. Beineix' films have never been about depicting reality (more about the clash of illusions vs. reality), and this film is no exception. Masterfully photographed, this is a feast for the eyes in which you will sometimes find yourself wondering whether thrill or laughter are stronger. A comeback to form by a master of his craft.

Jean-Jacques Beineix's new film MORTAL TRANSFER is about the misadventures of Freudian psychoanalyst Michel Durand (Jean-Hugues Anglade), who discovers his beautiful female client strangled on his analyst's couch. Instead of going to the police, he just tries to get rid of the body, leading to a nightmarish and at times phantasmagoric odyssey through a nighttime Paris populated by assorted oddballs. The script is by Beineix and Jean-Pierre Gattegno, from Gattegno's novel of the same name. Anglade provides a great mix of vulnerability and determination as the occasionally hapless shrink. "He's wonderful, he's not afraid of anything," commented Beineix at the film's world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

Beineix visited Moscow in 2001 to present the film at French Film Week. In an interview with Russian entertainment website Weekend.ru, Beineix provided the key to understanding his film: "What do we do in the process of psychoanalytic therapy? We try to get rid of the body of our childhood. What do killers do in detective movies? They try to get rid of the body. I just combined these two stories. My film is from the point of view of the psychoanalyst and the patient at the same time. Gattegno and I both underwent psychotherapy. We were amused by the possibility of transferring to acting, to comedy, those feelings we'd had on the analyst's couch. Not one session of psychoanalysis ends without the unconscious examination of the patient's attitude toward death."

Due to its increased complexity, the film is just slightly more challenging to appreciate than Beineix's other work, such as DIVA and BETTY BLUE. Nevertheless, it is just as exquisitely crafted, and is markedly more humorous, albeit in twisted ways. Beineix has a flair for the unexpected - this is a heady mix of genres: a stylish black comedy and a tense thriller at the same time, told with warm colors, broad strokes and an element of the perverse.

Michel Durand (Jean-Hugues Anglade) is the psychoanalyst of Olga Kubler (Hélène de Fougerolles), a kleptomaniac and masochistic beautiful woman married with the brutal Max Kubler (Yves Rénier). Michel has a great attraction for Olga, desiring her as a woman. One afternoon, Michel falls asleep during her session and when he wakes up, he finds Olga strangled on his divan. Then he is informed by Max that Olga stole seven million francs from him. Max believes Michel knows where the money is and demands the devolution until the next day. The story has many plot points along approximately 2 hours. This movie is a very weird French dark comedy. The plot is unusual, very strange and irregular, alternating boring and interesting parts and even the genres of black comedy and thriller. The premise is good, but in some parts it does not work well in spite of a great cast. The beauty of the nudity of Valentina Sauca is amazing. Her beautiful body is perfect and looks like a statue. However, this film is only a reasonable entertainment recommended for a very specific audience. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): `Um Enigma No Divã' (`An Enigma on the Divan')

I came out of the cinema saying this was an OK film, no more. Better than staying at home Saturday evening. I actually laughed a lot, but I somehow still had the impression that I would have been a great video to rent. It did have a few surprising twists, but something was missing... What?

This subtle film will certainly bear repeated watching. Psychoanalysis, perversion, money, and death are among the principal themes, treated with a dead-pan humour that does not hide some serious questions about analyst-patient relationships.