Review: Trouble Every Day (2001)

Directed by: Claire Denis
Starring: Vincent Gallo, Tricia Vessey, Béatrice Dalle
Written by: Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau
Music by: Tindersticks
Country: France
Available on: DVD (KimStim)
IMDb

Claire Denis’ arthouse examination of the intersection between lust and cannibalism was one of the trailblazers of the New French Extremity wave of brutal horror that exploded from France in the early 21st century. It’s debatable whether or not it’s actually part of that scene, given its focus more on artistic expression than gore, but certainly Denis introduced many of the themes that films like In My Skin (2002), High Tension (2003), Sheitan (2006), Inside (2007), and Martyrs (2009) would run with. One of the most prominent — and the focus of Trouble Every Day — is the simultaneously freeing and self-destructive exploration of our animal instincts. The movie is about a newly married couple who visit Paris on their honeymoon, though the husband (Vincent Gallo) is actually on the hunt for an ex-colleague and his wife (Béatrice Dalle), a woman with cannibalistic urges with whom he’s obsessed. The film is driven by bizarre performances by Gallo and Dalle, who are both very unique and at-times divisive screen presences, as well as lightning rods for controversy off screen. Each is offset by a spouse that seems almost disinterested in existence and is pushing them further into frenzy, and there’s a definite tension in seeing what sort of passionate chaos will unfold once the two collide. In that way, their “moment” is kind of underwhelming but also sort of inevitable and nonetheless satisfying. It’s more fascinating, though, watching each of their downward spirals quicken and become more bloodstained, supported by some beautiful imagery and a very sensual, dreary, and noirish score from the band Tindersticks. This is a hazy and abstruse, though visceral and visionary, piece of art that’s sometimes as frustrating as it is rewarding. But there’s no doubt that Denis has created something that enthralls and endures.

Overall rating: 8.5 out of 10