Blu-ray Review: Möbius (2013)

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AKA: Mobius 

Instead of spinning a yarn from a single plot strand to weave together a rich cinematic tapestry, writer/director Eric Rochant presents us with a knotted web of lies and deceit that unravel into a Möbius strip by the end of this riveting espionage tale.

A highly complicated film of who knows what and when, although its characters all appear to hover around one target, Rochant’s intricate Möbius is an internationally set saga of double agents, multiple angles and several sides.

A sexy, smart and sophisticated hybrid of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Thomas Crown Affair that also serves up a new twist on one of the most memorable breathtaking moments from Scorsese’s Departed that finds a character’s true identity and alliance nearly betrayed by a cell phone on a stakeout, Möbius is as fast-paced as it is intellectually fascinating.

Although it was overlooked in the mainstream U.S. press, Möbius is that rare type of film that’s actually enhanced by an in-home versus theatrical release since the less you know going in the better off you are.

And considering its infinitely complex plotline that demands your full attention, you’ll be grateful for the opportunity of the DVD/Blu-ray to rewind scenes, press pause and dissect Rochant’s work aloud without angering nearby moviegoers.

Likewise, given the initially convoluted (and constantly evolving storyline) that centers on the way that the romantic relationship between Jean Dujardin's Russian FSB agent and the American banker (Cecile De France) he's using to take down Tim Roth threatens to turn his cloak and dagger mission into a multi-country clusterfuck, Möbius plays even better the second time around.

And with this in mind, Lionsgate’s newly released razor-sharp Blu-ray boasts an Ultraviolet digital high definition copy for portable devices destined to make multiple screenings easier.

Augmented by the performances of its core ensemble cast, Möbius is so compelling that it manages to make up for its minor missteps including the somewhat dubiously out-of-character behavior of Dujardin and De France in the development of their relationship.

Although we’d noticed his growing Laura-like obsession with his subject, the way that their one-night stand escalates unrealistically quickly into a full-blown love affair given De France’s formerly unflappable, always in-control financial wizard’s sudden confession that she’s found a “home” in his arms mere hours after meeting him rings false.

Yet because Möbius harks back to Hitchcockian tales of romantic espionage released around the time that moviegoers were also introduced to the gritty realism of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, Rochant’s soap operatic flourishes are as easy to forgive as some of the film’s just-in-the-nick-of-time plot contrivances (including a video phone chat that coincides with an attempt on a life).

Like a kaleidoscope that offers us a new version of the colorful puzzle with every twist and turn, in Möbius, Rochant dares to serve up additional layers to his intricate web of spies and lies while simultaneously separating the truth about his characters from the fiction.

Respecting the intelligence of his audience the entire way, Rochant spins the knotted plot strands into cloak and dagger gold, crafting a first rate, grown up thriller that never fails to impress.

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Bad Faith

Director: Roschdy Zem

When it came to the four year relationship between Clara (rising star Cecile De France who won a Best Actress accolade for her role) and Ismael (Roschdy Zem), religion was never much of an issue. However, things changed when Clara learned she was expecting a child. In Roschdy Zem’s film which has been likened to a twenty-first century global version of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, a successful Jewish physical therapist and her Muslim piano instructor boyfriend must face their respective families, beliefs and analyze the importance of religious tradition when dealing with the unplanned pregnancy. Zem, whom Variety reports has appeared in more than thirty films in the past decade, earned a 2007 Cesar award nomination for his debut directorial work which was chosen as an official selection at the Scottsdale International Film Festival. Although there are some political and topical debates intertwined in this story of a couple facing the evolution of their relationship, it’s benefited largely from the sheer likability of the two leads that help make up for a sometimes hurried script and slightly contrived ending that detract from the unique plot-line of this succinct eighty-eight minute film that overall shows the importance of love in overcoming vast differences that seem to get even larger when the two take their relationship outside their apartment and begin to become influenced by the expectations and prejudices of others.

Avenue Montaigne

Director: Daniele Thompson

Co-written with and starring the director’s son Christopher Thompson, Jet Lag director Daniele Thompson’s latest French confection celebrates Parisian bohemian artists, actors, pianists and those who make their living based solely on their creative output. When Jessica (Cecile De France of The Spanish Apartment) leaves the elderly grandmother who raised her contented in senior housing, Jessica accepts a job at a Parisian café, after being told that she’s working on a trial basis since they only hire male waiters. In her postion, Jessica becomes the confidant, fan and protector of her many patrons including Catherine, a soap opera actress starring in a Feydeau play across the street and struggling to land a movie deal playing Simone de Beauvoir for director Brian Sobinski (Sydney Pollack, also a producer on Montaigne and playing a fictitious version of himself). For her portrayal of Catherine, the neurotic actress facing middle age and professional crisis, Valerie Lemercier received a Cesar award in her native France. Beautifully shot ensemble piece in the vein of Robert Altman, although without the emotional depth or investment, it’s an amusing diversion but there are far superior French character pieces such as Va Savoir that would make for a more satisfying viewing as about midway through Avenue Montaigne, I began to realize just how little I cared about any of the characters involved. While Jessica is our tour guide and serves as a near stand in for the viewer in observing the high-strung arts world, too little back-story was provided for her character including an unbelievable romance between her and Christopher Thompson. We long for more scenes with some of the other supporting players, most notably Albert Dupontel in a fascinating study of an acclaimed international pianist who is tired of his breakneck schedule and lack of passion playing for stuffy audiences who wants to walk away from it all, play in hospitals and live in the country. An entire film could’ve been made simply about the pianist but instead, the film is uneven and bogged down by characters barely understood by viewers—an admirable attempt to depict Parisian artists in their habitat but one that definitely fell short of its promise.