L’Amant Double (2017) (French Language)

Review

107min

Genre:     Drama, Romance, Thriller

Director:  François Ozon

Cast:       Marine Vacth, Jérémie Renier, Jacqueline Bisset…and more

Writers:   François Ozon and Joyce Carol Oates

-Synopsis-

A fragile and beautiful young woman falls for her psychologist, only to be caught in a paranoid web of seduction and deceit when she discovers there may be more to his identity than meets the eye, in this provocative French psychological thriller from the writer/director of ‘Swimming Pool’ and ‘Frantz’.

Fresh from majorly changing gears with 2016’s nuanced black & white period drama/romance ‘Frantz’ (released in the UK last spring), writer/director François Ozon returns to familiar sexually graphic fare, as he reunites with his ‘Young & Beautiful’ lead Marine Vacth and adapts the Joyce Carol Oates novel ‘Lives of the Twins’—giving us an erotic thriller revolving around the themes of love and lust, guilt, emotional trauma and mental health.

Vacth stars as beautiful art museum guard ‘Chloé’, a detached and emotionally troubled young woman who falls for poised psychoanalyst ‘Paul’ (Jérémie Renier), after he helps her to seemingly conquer some inner demons and their physical manifestations. But when she meets and becomes involved with his perfect doppelganger, a more dangerous and seductive version of the man she knows, the mystery of his identity begins to unravel her own dark past—as reality begins to slip and a sinister plot unfolds where nothing is as it seems.

When it comes to erotic or seductive thrillers, and meandering paranoid tales of mystery and mistrust, ‘L’Amant Double’ follows in a long line of provocative pictures—from Hollywood’s heyday in the 80s and 90s defined by films like ‘Body Heat’ and ‘Basic Instinct’, to more recent world cinema fare like Chan-wook Park’s memorable Korean period piece ‘The Handmaiden’ and  Paul Verhoeven’s own disturbing French thriller ‘Elle’. Now cineaste Ozon draws from his predecessors—perhaps taking inspiration from Verhoeven and his 1983 effort ‘The 4th Man’—crafting a sexually-charged psychological portrait centred on an identity struggle . . . with plenty of misdirection.

From the very first scene ‘L’Amant Double’ establishes its credentials as a graphic and seductive drama, and earns its 18 rating, as Ozon begins to weave a psychological portrait of a troubled and sexually repressed young woman who begins to open up thanks to a new lover and relationship, only to have her darker instincts released by another—as her mental state deteriorates into paranoia and delusion, and she questions the reality of what unfolds around her . . . as does the audience.

Ozon takes the notion of multiple personalities, the complexities of the subconscious and psychological delusions, and the intricacies of twin development and relationships, and runs wild with them in a rather haphazard way, applying visual style through cinematographer Manuel Dacosse and atmosphere through a score from frequent collaborator Philippe Rombi—but there’s just too much energy and effort spent on sex and style, and not enough on narrative finesse and plot development here.

As and when the plot (and the sex) thickens, ‘L’Amant Double’ takes a turn towards the implausible and the ridiculous, despite the subtle and fitting dreamlike quality to smooth things over. Even despite the final twist and gruesome head-scratching conclusion, which serves as paltry explanation for everything that has gone before, the narrative is disjointed and unconvincing. Whether or not it’s deliberately meant to reflect Chloé’s mental state, the result ultimately fails to enthral or really grip with mystery, and proves something of a letdown—which is compounded by the film’s dubious credentials as a genuine thriller, and a lack of real tension or menace.

Yet the undeniable style and atmosphere on show manage to conspire and create a mesmeric effect which just about manages to rescue ‘L’Amant Double’  as a reasonably captivating piece of intrigue, if only to find out where this cinematic casserole of emotional dysfunction and psychological furore ends up. Despite the fact that it’s no more provocative or edgy than many a foreign language or indie drama these days, there’s enough titillation and sensory stimulation to keep both your bum shifting in your seat and your eyes glued to the screen—depending on who you’re watching it with of course.

Ozon can also thankfully rely on the efforts of his stars, with Marine Vacth delivering an attention-holding central turn which combines subdued seductiveness with vulnerability, and Jérémie Renier impressing with his double-duty performance of contrasting personalities—all of which contributes to making ‘L’Amant Double’ one of the most stylish and alluring entries in the director’s notable filmography . . . albeit not one of the more memorable or substantive.

The Bottom Line…

Stylish and seductive but lacking in narrative finesse or nuance, ‘L’Amant Double’ is hampered by an underwhelming meandering plot and a lack of genuine thrills, but is successfully held up by plenty of atmosphere, just enough intrigue and some accomplished execution—relying on its two central performances to make for a reasonably compelling if not completely engrossing erotic thriller and psychological drama.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Elle (2016) (French Language)

Isabelle Huppert stars a successful and uncompromising video-game company boss who engages in a dangerous game with the masked stranger who sexually assaulted her at home, exposing the disturbing underbelly of both their characters in this provocative multiple award-winning French drama/thriller from Dutch genre master Paul Verhoeven.

Directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte and Anne Consigny among others.

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