Out of the Blue (La Surprise) proves once again that the French do melodrama well. A heartfelt film about the complications and joys of finding love in unexpected places, the movie is a well-paced treat for fans of a good “kitchen sink” drama/romance.
Directed by Alain Tasma and written by Dominique Garnier, the film is currently making the rounds of the independent film festival circuit.
The drama begins in the very first scene, as we watch Marion (Mireille Perrier), an attractive middle-aged woman, leave her husband quite permanently instead of carry on with their evening plans.
Paul (Robin Renucci) is an unappreciative jerk from the get-go, though Marion’s decision is complicated by the protests of their teenage daughter Justine (Chloé Coulloud), who doesn’t take the news well.
Marion herself is a high school drama teacher (Justine is even in her class), and she begins her single life with a fling with a scruffy actor. Soon enough, however, she meets Claude (Rachida Brakni), a gorgeous antiques dealer, and a few unfamiliar sparks begin to fly.
While their bond begins innocently enough, with a shared pizza and a few furniture loans, things soon begin to get stormy ? and sexy. Both women are carrying emotional baggage that could bring down a freight train, making the “push and pull” of their relationship so compelling and honest.
Marion struggles with her sexuality ? she has never fallen for a woman before. She considers herself conservative, and her outspoken and (realistically) troubled teen make every step of the way more difficult for her.
Claude is practically shrouded in a mystery ? she’s beautiful and urbane, with a penchant for dancing and the arts, though she’s carrying a secret that causes her to lash out and distance herself from Marion’s halting advances.
Both characters are exceptionally well drawn and the leads put in excellent performances. Perrier brings a grounded sense of both excitement and trepidation to Marion, who spends the bulk of the film in unfamiliar territory. Brakni is a force of nature in her role, and the young woman who plays Justine (Chloé Coulloud) really does an excellent job as an adolescent caught in the middle of a messy separation.
In fact, Coulloud has quite a difficult job ? Justine is bratty and selfish in the way that teens can often be, though she’s clearly a loving, conflicted child at the same time. She truly loves both of her parents, though she spends plenty of time with an older boyfriend and his crew of miscreants. Though she takes her mother’s actions quite hard, she always comes back for comfort.
Paul is the least likeable character in the film by a wide margin. He forgets his anniversary in the very first scene, admits to cavalier cheating throughout the marriage, and threatens violence when Marion doesn’t run back to his arms.
When she eventually tells him that she is dating a woman, he takes that as an opportunity to suggest a threesome, showcasing the stereotypical alpha male response to lesbianism. It’s easy to imagine why Marion has no problem leaving him in the dust.
However, the domestic drama is really just a backdrop for the tumultuous romance that gives the film its energy. Scene by scene, Marion and Claude inch closer and closer.
At first, Marion just attributes her feelings to friendship, but soon enough, she finds herself attending Claude’s flamenco class, harboring more than “friendly” thoughts.
Claude slyly reveals her sexuality as they go on a weekend trip together ? though after they share a kiss, things get very complicated.
The conflict is played out realistically ? and anyone who has been in a similar situation will instantly sympathize. Marion pushes, Claude pulls, then the roles reverse. It’s fascinating ? and sometimes heartbreaking ? watching the two women dance around their obvious attraction to one another, and thoroughly satisfying when they do come together.
The production values are quite good, as is the overall pacing and direction. Scenes flow easily into one another, making the months-long storyline easily digestible in its 90-minute running time. This is not to say that the production is rushed, in fact, each emotionally intense scene is given a great deal of “breathing room.” The strong acting, assured direction and excellent editing truly shine.
The small details also give the film a great deal of charm. It’s set within both urban and rural French environments, with all the wine and cute cafes and beautiful countryside that one could hope for. Just about everything in the film is easy on the eyes and ears, and all the food and wine on display inspires a strong craving for a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The only real issue with the movie is in the sheer amount of melodrama that exists within the running time. Some viewers may tire of the endless fighting and pushing and pulling that goes on. Others might take issue with Claude’s ceaseless intensity and occasionally bizarre behavior; it does cross into oddly antagonistic territory at times.
This is alleviated by the incredibly honest and sober conversations Marion has with Justine as the movie winds down. The mother/daughter relationship strains and grows with the new situations that come up, as both parent and child struggle to understand one another.
If the core romance is high drama, the secondary storyline is pure realism, and it’s refreshing to see such common issues dealt with in a lesbian-oriented film.
While it lacks some of the steam of other romantic dramas, and perhaps falls onto the melodramatic side a bit more often than most, Out of the Blue is a pleasure to watch. It provides all of the exhaustion and exhilaration of true love, with a healthy dose of reality and a dollop of good, old-fashioned French sensibility.
This is art house cinema at its finest and most accessible.
