The Blue Room - B

Rated R, 76 minutes
In French with English subtitles
Wes's Grade: B

"The Blue Room" a sexy, stylish French thriller

The smart French mystery thriller "The Blue Room" explores what happens when an affair between two consenting adults goes very wrong. Efficient, talky and told largely in flashback, it's a contemporary, darker version "Fatal Attraction" as done by the French. The movie is about two adulterous lovers who go from pillow talk to possible murder. Julien (Mathieu Amalric, who stars, directs and co-writes), a middle-aged salesman embroiled in a steamy love affair with a married woman and old friend (Laurent Poitreneaux) who, after a round of kinky sex, makes a startling suggestion. Suddenly, Julien is caught up in a police investigation that is trying to figure out what all went wrong. Directed by Almaric and based on the novel of the same name by George Simenon, "The Blue Room" is tense, well-acted and unravels slowly, peppered with some sensuously believable sex scenes and a boisterous, piano-heavy score that gives the film some dramatic heft. Some of the themes touched upon here, murder and adulterous love, are hardly surprising, particularly the crime (which is revealed late in the film), but the solid performances and direction keep you engaged: Almaric and Poitreneaux make for a steamy couple, and as the jilted wife, who knows more than she lets on but keeps silent, French actress Lea Drucker is particularly affecting. The weaker last act is mostly an afterthought and the film is perhaps too short for the subject matter (it's only 76 minutes), but the parts that Almaric have assembled in "The Blue Room" keep you involved. "The Blue Room" manages to smolder (some of the sex scenes are graphically European, with full frontal nudity) and while it's not altogether revelatory, it's also dark and entertaining. Worth a look, especially if you like French films.