Think of this as a dark comedic-drama.
It’s a complex build-up of familial issues. Ponder on good and evil, morality, incest, murder, circumstantial ties, ambition, hatred, and love—both erotic and phileo.
“The stark realism and dry humour employed in La Fleur du Mal reminds us why dysfunctional families are not much fun.”
The Rundown
Behind the name: Translation—The Flower of Evil
Country: France, 2003
Genre: Psychological Drama
Distributed by: Lionsgate & Palm Pictures
Directors: Claude Charbol
Cast: Benoît Magimel (as François Vasseur), Nathalie Baye (as Anne Charpin-Vasseur), Mélanie Doutey (as Michèle Charpin-Vasseur), Suzanne Flon (as Tante Line), Bernard Le Coq (as Gérard Vasseur), Thomas Chabrol (as Matthieu Lartigue), Henri Attal (as le beau-père de Fanny), Françoise Bertin (as Thérèse), Caroline Baehr (as Fanny), Didier Bénureau (as Brissot)
Compare to: American Dream
Hate it or Love it? Ponder on the subject a bit
Synopsis in a Sentence: A young French man comes back from America to re-encounter the familial disarray he ran away from, and just as things take shape, deep, dark secrets are uncovered.
In these days that television glorifies dysfunctional families and broken relationships, La Fleur du Mal brings the sorrow and emptiness of the situation into light, and we realise, there’s nothing really entertaining about dysfunctional relationships.
On Writing: The Plot
It’s a story on bleak relationships, mistrust, honesty and love. It’s quite a mix of emotions carried by a motley selection of characters. Some you can trust, some you cannot. The writing makes no excuses for the actions of the characters. Neither does it hide their true nature. The plot tells the story of a complex family brought together by circumstance, wealth, and fate—If you will call it that. The younger characters are caught in the lives of the older ones while re-living the mistakes of their parents (and their parent’s parents), while the parents, trapped in these mistakes, pre-occupy themselves with anything but the truth of the matter. Put together, the family becomes a network of detestation, despondency and discontentment forced to associate in the name of blood. What makes the story complex is the fair bit of “love” spread across a few of the characters, and in the end we learn that although love bears all things, it should not bear all.
(3.5/5)
On Acting: The Cast
The actors were good. Suzanne Flon’s portrayal of the sinful saint brings you to reason with her character’s flaw. We may call her the heroine of the cast. Nathalie Baye portrays the ambitious woman/the trying wife, and does so true to form. Bernard de Coq typifies the detestable male worth detesting, and Mélanie Doutey is all sugar and spice.
Their acting is stark, simple, and straightforward, which gives the film a realistic feel. A vital skill employed in psychological dramas such as these.
(3.5/5)
On Production:
Like the acting, stark, straightforward, clean, and to-the-point, with a few tweaks to highlight the mood of the scenes. But it’s no wrong done for this genre of film.
(3.5/5)
On Resolution: The Conclusion
If you’ve ever seen a Claude Chabrol film, you may be accustomed to the same topics. True to form, the theme, which highlights the “bad bourgeoisie” is employed here again. Chabrol employs minimal political satire to assail the middle-class again. But he’s mastered his subject, and the resolution to La Fleur du Mal does not disappoint. He even manages to inject a dose of humour to the dark, dark climax. Not many films end in this manner and once again, it’s worth experiencing the stab of the final rolls of film, or DVD laser readings, in this case.
(4/5)
The Verdict: If you’re in the mood for realism, morbid humour and pleasant villains, see this one.
Overall Score = 14.5/20
Get La Fleur du Mal here:
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