Little White Lies (2010)

Les Petits Mouchoirs

France

Writer and Director: Guillaume Canet

Little White Lies’ opening shot is a single take featuring a man strung out on cocaine leaving a Parisian nightclub in the wee hours of the morning, mounting his scooter, the camera spinning around him as he rides it through block after block of traffic lights before being shattered against the windscreen of a large truck and tossed to the road like a ragdoll. This is the catalyst for the premature reunion of a group of old friends, equipping scrubs and facial masks to visit the bloodied and disfigured wreck of a well-loved man. The Doctors are optimistic that he’ll recover, absolving the group’s decision to depart on their coveted annual retreat to rich restaurateur autocrat Max’s Summer home. At the beach all the lies and past secrets come together, culminating in the tragic and comedic interplay between the large cast of characters. Lovers come and go, friendships are consolidated and people exorcise their demons in what amounts to a very predictable yet mildly enjoyable reunion piece.

Max is habitually the comic relief, lightening the mood and providing distraction amid the frequently failing interpersonal relationships. Prior to leaving for his beach home, his longtime married friend Vincent confesses his love for him in a crowded restaurant. The typically high-strung businessman reacts aggressively to Vincent’s insistence that he “loves his hands”. On vacation, Max finds it impossible to relax, with many sleepless nights and a hilarious boating accident which leaves him run aground and pantsless with Vincent overnight. This concludes with a stand-out scene in which Max brings an axe to the wall in order to flush out the family of weasels that have infiltrated his crawlspace.

Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (of Inception fame) shows her worth as an artist who never wants to commit in a relationship. Although her character is a stereotype in a supporting role she impresses with her ability to cry, but when the film predictably results with her tearing up three times in quick succession, it feels like her talents have been exploited.

The final scene itself acts as a plot device to absolve all characters of blame for their misdeeds and bring them all back together in the wake of a tragedy to live happily ever after with each other, revealing the films unsubtle intentions as a tearjerker. The obnoxious soundtrack invades scenes to intensify the emotion, with English lyrics demanding us to feel what we’re supposed to be feeling, in case it wasn’t obvious enough.

At an inflated 154 minutes, Canet certainly needs to learn to trim the fat, as half the character arcs become underwhelming when compared to others. For the characters that do count though, the film is certainly worth watching, and the first half certainly outweighs the overblown second in terms of entertainment, as long as you’re not expecting anything ground-breaking.

3 / 5