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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
RED LIGHTS
Darroussin plays a great drunk. His every movement takes great effort. But after
Antoine's night of freedom takes a horrific turn, daytime offers him no relief. Stranded in a small
town, he has been unexpectedly delayed from reuniting with his family. Darroussin maintains the
high stakes in a montage of Antoine telephoning his family. The dialogue is pedestrian, but
Darroussin supplies the tension. There's not a casual or throw-away moment in his performance.
In fact, each character in this small ensemble has a presence. The stately and unobtrusive
camera focuses on the absorbing performances. When the camera abruptly
follows Antoine during his frantic and chaotic night, it's jarring and helps creates a sense of alarm.
Written in a traditional three act structure, this bourgeois film noir is nevertheless character driven.
And there is something thoroughly American about its theme of masculinity and rough justice. It's
as if Antoine wants to release his inner-Dirty Harry. With its restrained use of music, pace, and
strong acting, Red Lights is so tastefully produced that its brutality becomes even more
shocking. Kent Turner
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Composer Claude Debussy's soothing and ominous score, "Nuages," sets the
tone for this elegant and brutal pulp thriller. Stuck in traffic along with
two million other motorists, married couple Antoine and Hélène are
on their way to pick up their children at summer camp. On the surface, they
argue about which route to take. But during the day, Hélène (a highly successful corporate
lawyer) has kept her husband (an insurance rep) waiting, during which Antoine
has started a drinking binge behind her back. Hélène is played by the
regal Carole Bouquet, former model for Chanel and perhaps best known outside
France as For Your Eyes Only's Bond girl. Jean-Pierre Darroussin, as the timid
Antoine, closely resembles Wallace Shawn. As the tension between the couple
rises, they're both too angry to hear the radio news report of an escaped convict.
With Antoine lost and driving in the wrong direction, he stops for yet another
drink, despite Hélène's emphatic warning that she won't wait for him
if he leaves her. The evening turns into a celebration of sorts as the emasculated
Antoine, now without Hélène, feels emancipated.