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'The Blue Room' is an art film wannabe

( Unrated ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'Blue' stars director and co-writer Mathieu Amalric and St茅phanie Cl茅au in what could have been a taut little thriller.

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Alfama Films
'The Blue Room' stars St茅phanie Cl茅au (l.) and Mathieu Amalric (r.).
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Georges Simenon鈥檚 1964 novel 鈥淭he Blue Room鈥� has been fashioned聽by co-writer, director, and star Mathieu Amalric into a moody noir that,聽if it were filmed less fancily, might have been a taut little thriller instead聽of an art film wannabe. Amalric plays Julien, a married tractor salesman聽who has a series of hotel trysts with the lankily sensual, enigmatic Esther聽(St茅phanie Cl茅au, who also co-wrote the screenplay). Did I mention those聽trysts take place in a blue room?

Amalric throws in flashbacks and flash-forwards between bedroom and聽courthouse (yes, there鈥檚 a murder), and I was reminded again why I prefer聽my noirs in the hardboiled American style rather than tricked up with all聽this faux Alain Resnais-style filigree. Grade:聽C+ (Unrated.)

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