Yesterday we had a real treat at our local cinema. Director Etienne Faure came to introduce his new movie called "Désordres" (its international title is "Chaos", although a literal translation would be "Disorders"). The movie was finished just a couple of weeks ago and that was one of the first showings. "Désordres" tells the story about a seemingly ideal family who moved from Paris to the country, to escape the madness of the big city and come close to the nature. The husband, Vincent, is a professor of geography and history and gets a job at a local school. His wife, Marie, is a well-known pianist who quit playing at a young age and now has nothing to do but take care of their son. Not long after they settle in their new house their lives start to change with the intrusion of Thibaut, one of Vincent's students.
The movie tackles several themes and does that mostly successfully. Right from the first scene, filmed with a hand-held camera, it creates a kind of discomfort, even fear, and it doesn't stop right until the end. In the beginning it is created by a suggestion that someone is stalking the newly moved family. That suggestion creates all kind of questions, most of which are answered in the final part of the movie. The fear of stalking is greatly imprinted in the viewer throughout the first part of the movie, as is in Vincent, who overcomes it by telling himself it's just a figment of his imagination and welcomes a stalker into his family. That's when things start to get worse. The central part of the movie talks about marital problems, adultery, excitement of something/someone new and coping with all of it, but still it maintains the feeling of discomfort giving us hints which show there's something else at play. And then, in the last part, all is revealed and the audience is given more themes to think about, such as psychological disorders and their causes, and the concept of guilt. There is also an interesting lesson about the importance of history. Vincent tells his students that without knowledge of history they can't understand present, and that's reflected in Thibaut's case. Except in that case professor forgot his own lesson and his wife turned out to be a better pedagogist, proving in that way that people's qualities have an emotional trigger. I should mention that the movie, somewhere between all of the above, also talks about love and desire, and strange ways through which people can connect.
The actors are all on spot. Especially Niels Schneider as devious Thibaut and Sonia Rolland as naive and seduced Marie. I've already mentioned the great camera work creating discomfort and suspension. There are also some enigmatic scenes which create even more suspension, such as Thibaut carrying food to some unknown flat, or picking up a hidden pack of cigarettes from the wall behind Vincent and Marie's house. Things like that tell us there's something more going on, and director reveals it gradually trying to create not a shock effect but an emotional impact on the audience, and he succeeds in that.
There are some weak spots, like when Marie goes to help the neighbor or some decisions she makes which are puzzling. And there are some loose threads, for example in the end we can understand why Thibaut came that way, but the other kids' behavior remains unexplained. Also, Thibaut mentions being poor which doesn't seem to be the case throughout the movie. Regardless of that, the movie nicely balances between its themes and keeps the viewer involved all the time. It also caught my attention how director created some situations that seem meaningless at that moment but make sense afterwards (leaving the shotgun, introducing the journalist).
After some thought I must say that "Désordres" is surprisingly non-chaotic but seriously disordered, nevertheless containing some beautiful scenes and causing all kinds of emotions in a viewer. It's also an interesting food for thought with its convoluted but compelling plot and various themes. All of that makes it a great watch, so be sure to catch it when it comes to cinemas.
Nice last paragraph, especially the first line... Love it!
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