Set in Marseille against growing-larger-every-day heat waves and raging forest fires, here’s a film that flirts with being a romcom (two apartment blocks facing each other: one filled with some on-the-market women—married or not!, ogling a buff, bearded gent opposite who has no qualms about sharing his entire physique after a shower or trim). The fun really starts when one of the girls literally backs into the alluring neighbour’s wheels, soon leading to an exchange of cell numbers and an invitation for a glass of wine while the damages are paid for in cash (all the better not to alert either insurance company or the actual owner of the wayward vehicle).
So far, so good in the potential yuks department, quickly washing away the more semi-serious (in how it’s portrayed) opening sequence where a distinctly bruised woman gets deadly revenge on a bullying mate that elicits far more cheers in the final outcome than horrified groans.
Headlining the women is “breasts are for showing” camgirl Ruby (played with equal amounts of grit, fun and style by Souheila Yacoub). Neophyte novelist, Nicole (Sanda Codreanu) is equally convincing whether creating that all-illusive love story with a twist, or dealing with the real-time monster her imagination seems incapable of discarding. Filling out the pals-forever trio is married actress Elise (Noémie Mérlant artfully casting herself in the wide-ranging role whether portraying a “Marilyn” lookalike or “no longer in the mood” distraught wife).
As the object, in varying ways, of all the sweltering girls’ attentions, Lucas Bravo does admirable work playing “art” photographer and neighbour Magnani.
Mérlant (who also wrote the script with help from Céline Sciamma, Pauline Munier, Codreanu, Elise Costa and Anna Belguermi), manages to gradually shift the focus from hilarious girls’ night out to “How did that happen” drama through “If we don’t cover this up, we’re all going to prison” danger, while—near-simultaneously—zeroing in on all of the principals’ vulnerabilities. At times, some viewers may lose the narrative thread, but by journey’s end, the production comes full circle as one person most certainly not wanted on the voyage of human existence forever bids “adieu” and, unlike Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, no more harm can ever be done.
The original score from Uèle Lamore (deftly rendered by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and especially the wonderfully reedy contributions of saxophonist Clément Duchêne—don’t miss the first sax line “performed” as the camera scopes the balconies!) has just the right tone to support the action.
And for anyone who has had a night out that ended far, far more differently than expected, these windows are well worth peeking into. JWR