Directed by: Pierre Salvadori
Runtime: 100 minutes
The French have this wonderful tendency of creating films that make one’s non-European upbringing feel very prevalent. Whether it’s having a bath with your mother or the casual references of sex, French cinema doesn’t shy away from some personal subjects and embraces their unique humour.
The Trouble with You (En liberté! in French) follows Yvonne Santi (Adèle Haenel), a police sergeant and recent widow whose husband died a police hero. Soon after his death, Yvonne discovers that her husband was a corrupt cop and that a majority of their marriage had been a lie. Yvonne then comes face to face with her husband’s corruption as Antoine Parent (Pio Marmaï), a man who was framed by her husband for a crime he didn’t commit, is released from prison. She finds herself drawn to Antoine, and her morals and life begin to dramatically change.
Yvonne is a compelling character as she struggles with her husband’s lies and comes face to face with how Antoine has been hardened and damaged through his years in prison. She becomes inexplicably drawn to him, feeling personally responsible for his broken character, and she relates to Antoine’s struggle in a world that no longer makes sense. The representation of Yvonne as a mother, widow and police sergeant does a good job of driving the film, and it gives the film a lot of heart when she is re-telling stories with her son Theo.
Antoine’s character is a good representation of how prison can change an innocent man into a monster, but as the film progresses, his character becomes less and less likeable and sympathetic. What begins as a collection of quirky personality traits soon changes into violent behaviour, making Yvonne’s connection all the more confusing and less relatable. The respective ‘love interests’ of these characters, Agnes and Louis, have no real personalities and seem to only exist to fuel the two characters and bring them back to reality after being treated terribly for the entire film.
The use of humour throughout made this film more than just your average crime drama and turned it into a unique European comedy with the use of physical comedy and bizarre sexual references. This is not always to the film’s benefit: one scene in particular has Yvonne and Antoine dressed in S&M costumes, and while the use of this is humorous, it takes a lot of the heart from the film in a time that it really needs it. Otherwise, the humour translates fairly well and helps us engage with the characters while still accepting that their actions and choices are predominately comedically driven.
The climax of the film falls short, as the female characters who are strong, supportive and kind (such as Agnes) lose any of their credible traits and the males seem to learn nothing, ultimately regressing as characters. However, if you watch this film understanding that it is a ridiculous comedy meant to entertain with absurd characters and average storylines, it can still hold your interest and make you laugh.
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