Shall We Kiss?

(UN BAISER S'IL VOUS PLAÎT)

To the relentless strains of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and Nutcracker Suite with some Schubert periodically thrown in, comes a light but ultimately not so light cautionary tale about the possibility that there may be no such thing as an innocent kiss. Emmanuel Mouret brings his fascination with this and related questions of desire to this very funny and compelling tale.

It all begins when Emilie (Julie Gayet), on her way to Nantes, happens to accept the assistance of Gabriel (Michael Cohen). They wind up having dinner, obviously very attracted to each other, but when he leans in to seal the deal, she begins to spin a tale of the dire consequences of such seemingly innocent kisses. The story within the story, which is indeed the main one, involves Nicolas (Emmanuel Mouret) a slightly neurotic and commitment phobic math professor who enlists his best childhood friend Judith (Virginie Ledoyen) in a campaign to help him improve his love life. Trouble is, Judith is married and the "help" involves practicing love making skills. Well, of course, once anyone sets off down that road, especially this two goofily clueless lovers, it will be rocky to say the least.

If you think you know where it is all going, or you see it coming, well yes I would say that is the Director's point. He is offering us a theoretical situation that perhaps...okay no question...we have all faced at some point or another. What do we do with our excess desire, even when we have committed ourselves to one person? Is it possible to have everything or even many of the things we desire without hurting those around us?

Mouret offers no answers really, okay maybe the answer is NO. One cannot simply act on one's desires without consequences. But what is perhaps even funnier or more surprising is the way that the rational and/or scientific mind can't really outthink desire either. Both Nicolas and Judith are more right brain, apparently convinced therefore that they are somehow in more control of themselves than say some flaky and overly romantic painter or musician. In fact, Judith's husband, the pharmacist, is the more obviously dreamer with his devotion to Schubert and his ordered yet passionately expressive music.

The film succeeds brilliantly because it is both recognizable and yet not predictable in any sort of linear way. We are drawn in to sort of root for our "lovers", we want them to be together, to go along with their increasingly bizarre rationalizations. In the end we know it won't work out without leaving bloody bodies behind but we hope nonetheless. And it's all presented in a film that on some level feels as light as air, the great dilemma of love leavened with plenty of physical and verbal comedy.

Shall We Kiss opens in Los Angeles on April 10, 2009.

Written and directed by Emmanuel Mouret; Director of Photography, Laurent Desmet; edited by François Mereux; produced by Frédéric Niedermayer. Released by Music Box Films. Running time: 102 minutes. In French with English subtitles.

With: Virginie Ledoyen (Judith); Emmanuel Mouret (Nicolas); Julie Gayet (Émilie); Mi-chael Cöhen (Gabriel); Frédérique Bel (Caline) and Stefano Accorsi (Claudio).