Lemming

The poster got me interested in this film before I knew anything else about it. Put Charlottes Gainsbourg and Rampling in a movie together and I'm there.

Lemming is a tough film to write about because an end of act one twist really shouldn't be revealed. Lets say this. It's a noirish thriller about two couples (Gainsbourg and Laurent Lucas and Rampling and Andre Dussolier) and how their lives intertwine after a dinner party that goes badly wrong and it has a vein of comedy of the blackest kind.

The performances are all stunning. It's Rampling you'll really remember though, she's got the smallest role but from the minute she enters frame, making the temperature drop with a single gaze and a chilly turn of phrase, you can't take your eyes off her. She effortlessly steals every scene she's in, making you wonder what on earth she'll say next. Even into her 60's Rampling, never the most traditionally beautiful of actresses, oozes sex appeal and the edge of sexual tension she brings to her role also pays off in spades, making you think the plot will develop in a completely different way than it does.

There's also a wonderful turn from Gainsbourg, perfect casting in that she seems Rampling's polar opposite. She's devastatingly cute and projects a relentlessly sunny demeanour but is able to subtly turn her character, at first you barely notice and then she's completely different and yet the shift seems totally natural.

It's the women you'll be watching but take nothing away from Lucas and, particularly, Dussolier who also give excellent performances with each character becoming more complex scene by scene.

The titular Lemming is something of a distraction but it's about the only thing wrong with Moll's script. The dialogue, though played utterly straight, is often very funny and the twists and tuns of the plot are both surprising and well executed.

It's not perfect. It misses Rampling when she's not on screen and is a bit too long but the performances alone would be enough to recommend Lemming and there's plenty more to enjoy here.