An unlikely coincidence leaves a luckless accountant romantically torn between two sisters in the new film from director Benoît Jacquot ('Farewell', 'My Queen') – '3 Hearts' ('3 Coeurs').
The story starts simply enough: Marc (Benoît Poelvoorde) a tax inspector travelling in provincial France, misses his train back to Paris and needs to find a hotel. He sees a woman at a bar, follows her outside and strikes up a conversation. Rather than find a hotel for the hapless traveler, the two strangers spend the night walking the city streets, each acutely aware of the growing attraction between them. Romance seems inevitable, but the would-be lovers go their own ways with a promise to meet again in Paris a few days later. While Sylvie keeps the date, Marc has a heart attack and cannot make it.
The two are cruelly punished for failing to exchange phone numbers, and Marc returns to his life in the tax office while Sylvie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) moves to the States with her husband. Then, one day, Marc meets Sophie (Chiara Mastroianni) who is facing a tax audit. They are soon deeply in love, living together, and planning to marry. The catch: our hero is unaware that Sylvie and Sophie are sisters, and very close ones at that.
While this highly contrived coincidence could easily diminish the film, the storyline works – partly because it so predictable. Thankfully, Jacquot reveals the secret early on, leaving us ample opportunity to relish Marc’s growing discomfort.While 3 Hearts is essentially a story about a love triangle, Jacquot adds a new angle to what is a well-worn theme. By exploring the emotional frailties of each of his characters, he manages to create a level of uneasy tension that pervades almost every moment of this carefully crafted melodrama.
The looming emotional disaster is aided by the score, with a repetitive bass chord delivering a sense of foreboding from the very start. When the bass strikes, the impending tension is racked up another notch, and toward the inevitable tragedy.
{youtube}hknM-U1XvL8{/youtube}
Even if the emotional maneuvers are contrived, and there are quite a few instances which don’t stand scrutiny, the story line develops with some interesting jumps in time and space, and throughout this one hundred and six minute piece, the question is, will their secret be revealed and if so, by whom?
Catherine Deneuve plays a minor but integral role as the mother of her two entangled daughters and while she knows something is going on, she recognises that it is out of her control. Instead, she merely shows maternal concern.
With a cast that includes some of France’s finest actors, Jacquot has star power on his side and he makes the most of it in this polished and emotionally charged film. This is a filmmaker clearly at the top of his game.
'3 Hearts' plays as part of the Alliance Françsaise French Film Festival.
French Film Festival Dates
3-22 March – Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema & Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace (Sydney)4-22 March – Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth & Kino Cinemas (Melbourne)
5-24 March – Palace Nova Eastend (Adelaide)
6-25 March – Palace Electric Cinema (Canberra)
13 March - 1 April – Palace Barracks & Palace Centro (Brisbane)
19 March - 7 April – Cinema Paradiso, Luna on SX & Windsor Cinema (Perth)
9-14 April – Palace Byron Bay
16-21 April – State Cinema (Hobart)
