Masquerade - Ladri d'amore

Compared to his first two (and important) films, 'Mr & Mme Adelman' and 'La belle époque', this one falls far short in terms of wit and depth. It develops situations and characters that could be interesting at first glance but end up flat and unconvincing in the final cut.

Marine Vacth, who is gorgeous, plays a character who is adrift, unable to make the right decisions in a world to which she does not belong. Pierre Niney plays a character with no particular charms or skills, which makes the attention he attracts from women seem implausible. Adjani builds a character knowing that what she is presenting is herself as an outdated figure at the end of a glorious career, and she does so magnificently.

The well-constructed set and the camera movements, which are so accurate and restrained that they are barely noticeable, immerse us in the world of wealth and glamour of the French Riviera.

The other actors perform with dignity and style, demonstrating director Nicolas Bedos' ability to handle actors.

However, the script, treated as a flashback with a subgenre of courtroom drama in the background, confuses and blurs the main story, which would be simple and easy to tell if this back-and-forth technique had not been used. This is probably more of an editing error than a script error, and I think it has cost the film better ratings.

Mascarade is a 2022 French film written and directed by Nicolas Bedos. The film stars Pierre Niney, Isabelle Adjani, François Cluzet, Marine Vacth, Emmanuelle Devos, Laura Morante, Charles Berling, James Wilby, Nicolas Briançon, Christiane Millet, Bruno Raffaelli, Philippe Uchan, and Daniel Hanssens.

The film follows Adrien (Niney), an attractive dancer whose career was shattered by a motorcycle accident. He squanders his youth in idleness, living off the largesse of older women. His life changes when he meets Margot (Vacth), a beautiful and manipulative woman who lives off scams and romantic entanglements. Together, they fantasize about a better life and set up a diabolical scheme, an emotional masquerade.

**Masquerade** is a stylish and well-acted film that is both funny and thought-provoking. Bedos's direction is sharp and confident, and he brings out the best in his cast. Niney and Vacth are both excellent, and they have great chemistry together. The supporting cast is also very good, with standout performances from Adjani, Cluzet, and Devos.

The film's biggest strength is its script. Bedos has written a clever and witty story that is full of surprises. The film is also surprisingly touching, and it explores some complex themes about love, deception, and identity.

However, the film is not without its flaws. The pacing can be a bit slow at times, and the film's ending is a bit too ambiguous for some tastes. Overall, though, **Masquerade** is a well-made and enjoyable film that is sure to please fans of French cinema.

I haven't seen such a great French movie in a long time. It's nice to see something so refreshing with well known actors and some less well know: Adjani, Cluzet, Ninet are great and the female lead is also amazing. Many times during the movie, we think we know where the story is going but there are many surprises along the way. It was also a great satyre of the well-off as well as the poor... both are totally amoral...which makes this exquisite.

I don't want to say much about the story in order no to spoil the movie.

To conclude, I highly recommend this movie for the plot, the directing, the amazing actors.

No pun intended - the individuals here may be masking their true identity for some of the other characters involved, but we as viewers know them ... and I would assume most will not find much endearing or appealing ... which obviously is a problem if you do not have likeable characters ... rather the opposite to be honest.

The main female actress is super beautiful, but also a lot of trouble .. on the other hand, the love interest is not much better ... even if he seems to be naive and good (morally speaking) in the beginning ... now talking of her looks, there is nudity, there are sexual situations, but do not watch this, if that is what you are after. Even if there are quite a lot of "love making" it is (mostly) short and more of the movie showing us that they are crazy for each other ... or just try to get something from whomever they lay with and next to .. just saying - so you can do a movie, without really going into lengths in that respect.

The mystery is not really one I'd say ... but the actors really try their best to sell it to us. In different news and because I like numbers, this is review number 11102 ... Maxxine was 11100 - as in third part of the trilogy ... a nice little thing by the way ... and the kinds of kindness gets the "weird" number 11101 ... probably there is a binary meaning to that too ... as inconsequential as this all may sound ... as much as you probably will care about the destiny and fate of the characters in the movie ...

Pierre Niney is excellent here in this crook gigolo role and Isabelle Adjani more than convincing in the wealthy old maid in love with this gigolo who takes advantage of her and also despises her. Excellent cast, including François Cluzet as the sucker, the patsy. The story telling using a smart editing is not that new, but still efficient to keep the audiences glued to this story taking place on the French Riviera, paradise of superficiality, hypocrisy, where very wealthy people get bored, wealthy dream to get wealthier, and the less wealthy envy those wealthier than them.... Light hearted drama without being a comedy but a true and accurate portrait of human condition. Not a masterpiece but worth viewing.