Valerie Donzelli is the one woman show behind the story of a beguiling, yet tragic and lucid chanteuse in La Reine des Pommes (English title: The Queen of Hearts).
The film marks the French actress's first role as not only star, but director and screen play writer.
The lense is focused on the character of Adele, a 30-something woman, who is overcome with heartache and grief when her boyfriend, Mathieu, leaves her abruptly. Broke and alone our herione has no choice but to retreat to the home of Rachel, a distant, narcotic cousin in Paris. Adele spends her days sleeping, crying and lamenting her broken heart until she makes up her mind to get over the catastrophe via the conquest of a few new lovers.
Her awkward charm and fragile emotions make for a sometimes erotic, sometimes hilarious look into the state of heartbreak, an emotion all can relate to.
The story is simple and beautiful. Donzelli takes on the task of examining the human condition with great ease and success. The absence of special affects and flash create an ideal setting for viewers to experience Adele's mishaps with comfortable empathy, despite the uncensored sex scenes and moments of emotional turmoil created by them.
Jeremie Elkaim plays not one but all of Adele's leading men (Mathieu, Pierre, Paul and Jacques) from e-boyfriend to new lover. While at first each male character seems to be based on a cliché of sorts (the up-tight married man, the emotionally abusive new lover and the starry-eyed student), Elkaim soon displays that even a seemingly stereotypical character can have multifaceted emotions.
Soft colours, quirky characters, beautiful Parisian scenery all go together as the backdrop behind a story that delves into the temporary, yet extraordinary moments, of raw human emotion.
La Reine des Pommes makes its North American Premiere at The Plaza Theatre (1144 Kensington Rd. NW) tonight at 7:00pm as part of the Calgary Underground Film Festival.
View trailer here.
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