Chaos

I saw this movie in Paris last year (2001). It is a delight. It maintains a modicum of comedy around a very violent and wrenching subject. It begins with a young prostitute fleeing for her life after practically being killed from a beating. France has a large Arab population. The young lady happens to be Arabic. This film plays on this clash of cultures and also plays on the clash between the sexes. I highly recommend it.

This is one of the most accomplished films I've seen from France in a while. French cinema always presents risky situations. Hollywood, in search of ideas, sometimes turns into other films for American consumption under disguises, where the original idea is totally changed, or presented in such an idiotic way, that probably the new film derived has nothing to do with the original one.

Director Coline Serreau presents a story about today's society, where there's always no time to pay attention to things, let alone go to the aid of someone who's being victimized on the street. The Vidals, a bourgeois couple are a typical example of people so preoccupied in their own little game; they have no time to help the young woman who is beaten to a pulp in front of their eyes.

Well, actually, Mme. Vidal has a conscience. She protests to Paul, her husband; he couldn't care less. She goes to the hospital where the victim is under a coma, trying to put things right. She then becomes obsessed with the situation. At least she is a decent, if somehow tardy Samaritan.

Noemi, the woman who's been beaten has her own sad story. Played with conviction by Rashida Brakni, she puts a plan to avenge herself against the people that got her in the present situation and tried to kill her.

The interplay between Noemi and Mme. Vidal, also played earnestly by Catherine Frot, is one of the best combinations of wits in a film.

The film never lets up. Showing a sure hand, Ms Serreau gives us an enjoyable film and a feminist take on the way things are done when a woman decides to say enough to all kinds of abuses she has been put all her life.

CHAOS is a melodrama, yes, indeed. But when melodramas are this much fun--this exciting, socially aware, funny, heartfelt, just plain interesting and oh-so-pertinent to our world today, we should only have more of them this good. As a fan of writer/director Coline Serreau since her POURQUOI PAS?, I was still unprepared for how terrific this new film is. Actors Vincent Lindon and Catherine Frot are wonderful, as usual, but it's newcomer Rachida Brakni who is stunning from first to last. The story, which begins with an auto accident, never lets up its tension and grows more complicated and intriguing as it proceeds. If, as some have said, CHAOS is anti-men, the men in this film certainly deserve their raspberries. Further, the movie should be "must" viewing for Islamic families around the world. While I would stake my life on the fact that not all Muslim families are as male-dominated by lunkheads as is the family shown here, still--the Islamic world must eventually come to terms with its women and their liberation, if they and the rest of us are to prosper. CHAOS is must-viewing for so many reasons, I can't begin to count them here. Rent it as soon as you can.

The first thing that stands out in this movie is the performances by all the actors.The credit should of course go to the director but the cast is very well chosen and they all do more than justice to their roles.

It is a story of a young Muslim girl in France, who rebels against her male dominated society and tries to become someone.She has to face many hard-ships and obstacles in the process though.The movie also showcases the life of a french family and their own struggle to come to terms with themselves and their life. all this is presented in a very humorous tone.The viewers will laugh at the right time,enjoy the humour but importantly at the same time , they will not miss the underlying irony of things. One never loses touch of the struggle and the tribulations of the characters involved.

after a long time I have seen a movie, which unlike most movies dished out by the Hollywood studios these days, does'nt just concentrate either on the commercial aspect or is just made to satisfy the critics and do well at the Oscars. This movie just proves that with honest, dedicated work and the right(talented) people knowing , what they are doing, a Great movie can be made with a limited budget.

I would recommend this to everyone who want some entertainment as well as not feel they have just wasted their 2 hours.

From New Yorker Films and prolific French producer Alain Sarde, writer-director Coline Serreau's 2001 French film "Chaos" is very much a woman's adventure. The storyline is from the women's perspective, main action performances (and slapsticks) by women. Story revolves around 4 women - a mother in law (Line Renaud is quiet Mamie aptly cast), a sister (Hajar Nouma is naïve Zora unaware) are supporting roles to the two central gutsy characters: Hélène (neat and deftly portrayed by Catherine Frot) and Noémie/Malika (brilliant and forcefully played by Rachida Brakni). The serious & comical, patient & impetuous interactions between Hélène and Noémie sure kept the tight yet fun suspense drama going, with bemusing (and thoughtful) 'comments' on men - the husband ( the ill at ease egocentric Paul played with such facility by Vincent Lindon of Clair Denis' "Friday Night" 2001), the son (the callous immature Frabrice played by Aurélien Wiik), heartless fathers, boorish brothers, brutal gangsters and nasty pimps.

The film is no lightweight fare. It's a heartfelt reflection on women's place in society in similar situation/environment as the four women depicted in "Chaos" - and there's hope for tenacious bonding relationships to blossom and grown. The ending sight is serene and peaceful to behold, full of heart.

There are social commentaries sprinkled through out the film, be it obvious or subtle. Following the two women made us care about what will happen next: how will Hélène get pass/deal with the hoodlums, will Malika wake up, how can she fight the thugs in a wheelchair, is Paul really such a wimp and a jerk, do we treat our mothers like that - such observant perceptions Serreau included.

With the war situation, we are more aware of the fragility of life and how death can occur without warning. Like Yin & Yang, life & death are inseparable forces. What happens brought the two together, changing each other's course of life. 'tis death to the 'former' way of life and began anew their ventures, helping each other to attain the 'peace' they somehow individually needed. Esoteric this may sound, the dramatic plot of "Chaos" is entertaining assured.

The hospital bedside scene reminded me of Erick Zonca's "The Dreamlife of Angels" aka "La Vie rêvée des anges" 1998 - another worthwhile dramatic French film. Both films are available on DVD.

Colin Serreau wrote and directed "Three Men and A Cradle" in 1985 aka "Trois hommes et un couffin" with U.S. remake as "Three Men and A Baby" in 1987.