Chaos

What impressed me more than anything about "Chaos" was the energetic acting. The two female leads seem absolutely driven in their portrayals, and it's a good thing, because their characters need all the energy they can get to cope with the whirlwind of savagery and plot twists in this terrifically entertaining (though sometimes hard to watch) film.

The only thing I disliked in "Chaos" was the cardboard portrayal of the husband. Though I consider myself a Francophile and have long enjoyed French films, I find French farce heavy-handed and really hard to take--and this role was handled farcically. But that's perhaps a cultural quibble, and overall I was greatly impressed by the film.

Highly recommended, but not for the squeamish.

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.

En route to a party, Paul (Vincent Lindon) and Helene (Catherine Frot) encounter a speed bump when a woman throws herself in front of their car, begging for help. Having learnt not to pick up hitchhikers, they watch helplessly as she is beaten unconscious by several men.

Helene feels responsible for this stranger, whom she comes to know as Noemie, and spends much time with her at the hospital. But when she discovers that Noemie's life may be in danger, Helene sneaks her out of the hospital posing as a nurse.

Taking her to her mother-in-law's country home to recover, she learns of Noemie's tragic story. Brought to France from Algeria by her father, she chooses a life of prostitution after her dad sold her down the river to an Algerian man.

This movie tells me how prostitution works in France and its similarities in the prostitution that's been happening in our country.

This is a funny and fast-paced movie. I would have enjoyed it more if I can only understand the French language.

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.