Dans Paris

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre drama Starring Guy Marchand, Marie-France Pisier, Romain Duris, Louis Garrel, Joana Preiss Directed by Christophe Honore Publisher IFC Films

The summary on the back of the DVD case would lead one to believe that Dans Paris is just another story about a man going back home after a bad break-up and finding out that there is more to life than his broken relationship.  Alright, there is some of that in the story, but there are two elements in this film that separate it from films with a similar premise.  

The first of these elements is the mixture of various cinematic styles utilized by writer/director Christophe Honore.  The first act is made up of various, short scenes thrown together in a non-linear fashion.  These scenes depict the conflict and heartache of a relationship slowly falling apart.  Paul (Romain Duris) and Anna (Joana Preiss) clearly love each other, but simply cannot co-exist as a couple.  This collection of arguments in which neither person really says a whole lot gives us a small glimpse into what is ultimately a complicated and passionate relationship.  

As the second act begins, we learn that at some point Anna left Paul, and he has since moved in with his father and his younger brother, Jonathan (Louis Garrel).  Unlike the frenetic first act, the rest of the film takes place over the course of 24 hours or so.  Paul spends most of his time laying in bed, angry and hurt, obsessing over his loss, but unsure of what to do about it.  Jonathan is the exact opposite. Instead of going to class and going grocery shopping, he runs through the streets of Paris in whimsical shots reminiscent of an early ‘60’s Godard film.  He ends up meeting and sleeping with a woman on a scooter, an ex-girlfriend, and another random girl he meets on the street.  

Neither Jonathan, nor their father (Guy Marchand) can actually sit down and talk with Paul about his break-up.  This brings us to the other key element of this film.  Instead of subjecting us to an hour and a half of people whining about their problems, Honore gives us a group of people that are so emotionally repressed that they cannot really talk about anything.  Even when Paul’s mother, who ran off with another man and is now remarried, comes by to talk to him, he refuses talk about the break-up.

As the story progresses, we find out that Paul and Jonathan had a sister who unexpectedly killed herself.  This puts the emotional repression of the characters into context.  Paul finally ends up talking about his sister when he is forced to baby-sit a girl that Jonathan invited over and forgot about.  He then calls Anna, and the two sing a song to each other over the phone in a subtly emotional scene in which they reconcile to some extent.

Overall the film is quite enjoyable.  It manages to balance montage with new wave realism, comedy with drama, and passion with restraint.  Even though the film lacks a strong story, it is carried by style and performance.  When the direction is precise and the acting is excellent, that is more than enough to make a good film, as seen here.