Little White Lies (2010)

Since I have an all-region DVD player, I was able to enjoy this exquisite movie about a group of friends who decide to take a previously planned vacation after one of them (played by Academy Award winner, Jean Dujardin) gets seriously injured in an accident. This character-driven movie deals with lies we tell ourselves, lies we tell others to keep face, and the consequences, positive or negative, for sometimes telling the truth. At the heart of it is the acceptance of friends for who they are, with their human frailties exposed. The ending, like the coming together of a complex tapestry, is extremely powerful and emotionally moving. There's not a false note in the fine ensemble cast. I sincerely hope that a Region 1 version will be released in the near future for North American consumption.

Guillaume Canet creates films (Tell No One, Whatever You Say, J'peux pas dormir..., Je taim) that though they are about love, loss and life, they probe more deeply into the human condition than the glossy entertaining surface can conceal. In the end all of his films demand that the viewer connects to his concept of the flow of life and death and those aspects of living that make a difference. Les petits mouchoirs AKA Little White Lies magnifies these attributes. The story is so conversationally written that for a while it is difficult to pull together where the film is going, but by the end of the film the audience is so choked by the discoveries revealed that tears and a stunned afterburn are inevitable.

Every year, Max Cantara (François Cluzet), a successful restaurant owner, and Véronique (Valérie Bonneton), his eco-friendly wife invite a their close-knit circle of friends to their beautiful Cap Ferrat beach house near Bordeaux to celebrate the birthday of Antoine (Laurent Lafitte) and kick-start the vacation. But, this year, before they all leave Paris, their mutual friend Ludo (Jean Dujardin) is hurt in a serious motocycle accident, ends up the ICU and as the doctors say nothing can be done to change things for at least two weeks, the friends all proceed with their plans for vacation: no one stays behind to be supportive of Ludo, not even his apparent love partner Marie (Marion Cotillard). This sets off a dramatic chain of reactions and emotional responses. The eagerly anticipated vacation leads each of the protagonists to raise the little veils that for years they have draped over what bothers and upsets them. Pretenses become increasingly hard to keep up. Until the moment when the truth finally catches up with them all: each member of the group of friends has a problem that needs the support of real friends but none of them has the ability to share personal secrets. There are many concepts that are present here one married man Vincent (Benoît Magimel) has an inexplicable physical and emotional attraction to Max who loathes the idea of a possible gay liaison; Marie is visited by an infrequent lover Nassim (Hocine Mérabet), Eric (Gilles Lellouche) longs to be reunited with the woman who has found another, Jean Louis (Joël Dupuch) awaits messages from his emotionally distant Juliette (Anne Marivin) and so on. Yet each of these little situations confound Antoine who cannot believe this group would not stay near their critically injured friend Ludo. The consequences are revealing and point out the importance of owning up to the truths that define a life. To reveal the ending would be a disservice to all who may see this little masterpiece.

The entire cast is of the highest caliber and Canet succeeds in getting brilliant performances from each. Though each actor is excellent, the performances by Benoît Magimel, Marion Cotillard and François Cluzet are exceptional. This is a thinking person's film but one that holds as much brilliant drama and impact as any film before us today. Grady Harp, February 13

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I loved this film! Saw it at the Reed College French House. The actors are so expressive and beautiful. I hope they release this for the US. It finds a balance between art and realism and feeling empty and feeling alive. Fantastic soundtrack and a great intro to French cinema. I DESPERATELY WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN AND HOPE TO SEE IT ON NETFLIX OR ITUNES OR ON DVD FOR OUR REGION :)

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When I was in France a couple of years ago and saw this movie, I knew I had to have it! When it finally became available in the US, I was ecstatic! This movie has so many themes and I notice something different about it each time. I am sure that I will be watching it for years to come.

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Guillaume Canet is an excellent actor, writer and director (BTW: is Patrick Dempsey his brother?? or twin!) While the direction here is solid, Canet's story is hackneyed. I enjoy the more commercial French movies as well as the, shall we say cinematic and intellectual French films. So, I gave this one a try. This is clearly an ensemble piece with previous Canet collaborators (Cluzet, Cotillard, DeJardin, et al) all veterans, and each delivers a good performance. Yet, the story is predictable and the premise, somewhat of a stretch--would you really go on vacation leaving a dear, close friend on the verge of death, on his own with no one, NO ONE to care for him? C'mon, man! Not even an enemy would do that and these folks claimed to be "friends." While we all question from time to time the trustworthiness of even our closest friends, these folks take it to a whole other nadir. Beyond this premise, there are few surprises or new twists, both in terms of the story and the lessons learned. Moreover, the way in which those lessons are illustrated on the screen don't offer much that is unique or even different. Francois Cluzet is kinda lovable as the irascible and difficult kingpin of the group. The character "Jean-Louis" is just too self-righteous and preachy in the end, to even take seriously. Yet, there are fine performances. But again the content, i.e., story has been told many times in movies like Big Chill, et al, and they actually do it better. Four Weddings and Funeral is another in this genre that hits all the right notes. Also, take a look at Loose Cannons. This Italian ensemble piece about a family's dysfunction and coming to terms with individuals in the family is marvelously acted and tells a great story of being yourself and making whatever sacrifice is necessary to do so, even in the face of family and social pressures to be something else. RENT IT! "Loose Cannon."

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