Nobody Else But You (Poupoupidou)
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngKPw4HLFVk&w=540″]
He is a Parisian and author of a series of best selling crime novels. She is a blonde bombshell, convinced that she is the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. When they meet at Mouthe, the coldest town in France, he is suffering from a bad case of writer’s block and she is dead, believed by the police to have taken an overdose of sleeping tablets. David Rousseau is unconvinced and begins his own investigation into the mysterious past of Candice Lecoeur, certain that this will provide him with the inspiration for his next novel…
IMDb – 6.7 | Rotten Tomatoes – N/A | Wikipedia (fr)
Blocked investigative crime writer, David Rousseau (Jean-Paul Rouve), visits small town Mouthe and finds inspiration in local star Candice Lecoeur’s (Sophie Quinton) apparent suicide. Rousseau suspects foul play and sets out on an investigation along with an unlikely ally in local gay cop Bruno Leloup (Guillaume Gouix).
While the movie’s premise doesn’t sound all that original, the script and the execution are very unique. Director Gérald Hustache-Mathieu borrows heavily from the Cohen brothers’ cult favourite Fargo. Lecoeur’s life mirrors that of Marilyn Monroe’s (albeit on a local town girl level) and there are several scenes that would fit straight into a Monroe biopic.
The film is very off-beat and like many recent French films adopts a very slow pace. Rouve is very believable as the protagonist, ably supported by Gouix. Quinton’s Candice ‘Monroe’ Lecoeur is lovable and sexy, but unfortunately looks too much like Michelle Williams playing Monroe than Monroe herself.
This isn’t your usual Hollywood suspense and some may find the slow place irksome. I feel though, that such movies need careful story telling, with much attention given to even the smallest of elements, like the landscape and the quirky townspeople.
It’s an ideal movie for cinephiles and for those being introduced to French cinema.
