La Moustache (2005)

Foreign / Drama

1 hr. 26 min.

French drama/mystery about a man who shaves off his mustache, which changes how he's perceived by others to the point where he questions his own identity.

Not Rated

Directed by: Emmanuel Carrère

Starring: Hippolyte Girardot, Vincent Lindon, Emmanuelle Devos, Mathieu Amalric, Cylia Malki

Theatrical Release Date: 5/24/2006

Release Type: NY

U.S. Box Office: $244,097

Video/DVD Release Date: Not Yet Available

Distributor: Plathe Distribution

Country: France

Language: French

Offsite: IMDB | Official Site

CRITIC	RATING	QUOTE
Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips	7	...an absorbing riddle posed in cool, matter-of-fact tones...
New York Post V. A. Musetto	6	...an enticing puzzle.
TV Guide Ken Fox	7	...Carrere re-creates the insane mind through his camera, and diffuses his point about subjective experience by inadvertently raising questions about truth and the movies.
Slant Magazine Ed Gonzalez	6	The film is scarcely forceful, inviting any and all interpretations but never daring one itself. I'm not sure if this exposes Carrère as a philosopher without a point-of-view or indicates a refreshing form of art-house charity. Perhaps that's for us to interpret as well.
New York Times Stephen Holden	8	This screen adaptation of a novel by Mr. Carrère, a popular French author making his directorial debut, never lets you forget your manipulation by a storyteller with the mind of a trickster.
Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas	9	...a deliciously unsettling, beautifully sustained enigma, a film of much beauty and flawless performances, especially from Vincent Lindon in one of his most demanding roles.
Village Voice Michael Atkinson	8	A successful novelist and restrained actor's director, Carrére makes the transformation of a silly marital argument into a cosmic upheaval look easy, and profound as well.
Onion AV Club Noel Murray	7	...an unusual thriller.

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ALL AVERAGE CRITIC RATING	7.2
AVERAGE USER RATING (2 ratings)	8.5

USER REVIEWS:

Oracle 10

A well acted, mind boggling thriller.........

Grade: A

THERE are some movies that just have no point and are terrible. There are some movies that have a point, but are executed terribly. And then under the last category, come the movies with no point, but are interesting and very well done.

"La Moustache" falls under that category. In this well acted, mind boggling thriller, the main protagonist is Marc (Lindon) who in the beginning, "Shaves off his Moustache". In the following 30 minutes, it shows Marc yelling and people to see if they notice anything different about him.

But then the pace of the movie changes. Marc takes a trip to Hong Kong, where he eerily thinks about his problems, and rides a distinct boat.

With one magical music theme, the director twists and turns us to the extent of this mini-masterworks' calling.

This handsomely photographed fable is grounded in strong performances by Mr. Lindon and Ms. Devos, who are entirely convincing as a long-married, childless couple, whose relationship still has pockets of passion.

What is most surprising in "La Moustache", is the really the way the movie is formatted. What you have to realize is that you need to think for yourself, and in the end, you must conclude the reality of Marc's dreamworld, and what he thinks, and what he believes.

In the end, with one simple blow, you realize that the end is the beginning, and that for one of the first times this year, an unusual thriller has tricked you.

By Oracle