Review: All About Them - a three-way love triangle with a twist (of sorts)
This morning, I saw All About Them (À trois on y va in the original French), which was screened as part of the 51st annual Chicago International Film Festival. I wasn't originally going to write a post about it, but so long as I have a bit of time before I have to head off to an assignment, I figure I might as well jot down a few thoughts.
I decided to check it out purely because of the premise.
Charlotte (Sophie Verbeeck) is cheating on Micha (Félix Moati) with Mélodie (Anaïs Demoustier). Not suspecting a thing, yet feeling neglected, Micha in turn cheats on Charlotte.
But also with Mélodie.
For Mélodie, things are topsy-turvy. She lies to both of them. She is privy to each of their lies. And is in love with both of them at the same time.
I have long been intrigued by the notion of three-way love triangles, where it's not just [gender] has feelings for [two people of opposite gender]. There are more possibilities there. And if all people involved have feelings for each other...
(Before I start the review, I need to make a an important caveat. I wound up getting to the theater 12 minutes late, so I missed the first 15 minutes of the movie. There was probably some context and pertinent details that I'm missing)
It's the kind of thing that hinges on believable chemistry between all three people involved, and boy do the actors pull it off. You can buy them being physically attracted to each other in equal measure. Perhaps just as importantly, we do get a sense that, while chemistry is a big part of why the characters wind up doing what they do, they do share personal connections. There is, at least in theory, a foundation for intimacy of another kind... To a certain extent (more on that later). And between the acting and the script, Micha, Melody and, to lesser extent, Charlotte, get enough characterization to come across as individuals, with believable problems hang-ups. It wasn't long before I was rooting for them to stop hiding and just have a threesome already.
But then, we got to the ending.
[Severyal pragraphs worth of spoilers (click to open)]
They do eventually all get together. But when that happened, and I checked my watch, and realized that there was still 15 minutes left, and I knew that it wouldn't just end there. That there will be a twist. And, sure enough, there was. After spending a fun evening at Micha's cousin's wedding, Charlotte runs off, leaving Micha and Mélodie alone on the beach to, presumably, live happily ever after.
And I'm kind of conflicted about that.
Looking back, I realized that, out of all main characters, Charlotte was the one who got defined the least. At one point, Micha says that he doesn't know what she's thinking, and the same could go for the audience. We don't really get a good idea why Charlotte does what she does (beyond craving physical connections and emotional comforts). We do get a sense that she doesn't necessarily want commitment. And, based on what I've seen... It strikes me that Charlotte winds up sort of a plot device. A free spirit who brought the couple together.
Then again, I haven't seen the first 15 minutes of the movie, so I could be off-base.
And then, there is also the fact that we have the movie that starts with a less than conventional variation on the traditional love triangle, where the characters end up in a three-way relationship that seems to work... only for the movie to end with a heterosexual couple. Not that there's anything wrong with heterosexual couples, but it seems like a cop-out. Sort of like "let us dabble in this unconventional stuff, but let's not commit to it, because that would be weird."
On the third hand.... I'm not sure if that necessarily makes for a bad ending. The final scene is poignant, and I can't say it's entirely out of character. At least based on most of the movie I've seen. It doesn't feel wrong, or all that contrived. In short, it does kind of work.
Ultimately, aside from my issues with an ending, it's engrossing film with nice cinematography, a great soundtrack and some surprisingly effective moments of comedy amidst the drama. And, if, like me, you are interested in three-way love triangles and movies depicting bisexuals... At the very lease it would be an interesting experience.
Here's the trailer:
I decided to check it out purely because of the premise.
Charlotte (Sophie Verbeeck) is cheating on Micha (Félix Moati) with Mélodie (Anaïs Demoustier). Not suspecting a thing, yet feeling neglected, Micha in turn cheats on Charlotte.
But also with Mélodie.
For Mélodie, things are topsy-turvy. She lies to both of them. She is privy to each of their lies. And is in love with both of them at the same time.
I have long been intrigued by the notion of three-way love triangles, where it's not just [gender] has feelings for [two people of opposite gender]. There are more possibilities there. And if all people involved have feelings for each other...
(Before I start the review, I need to make a an important caveat. I wound up getting to the theater 12 minutes late, so I missed the first 15 minutes of the movie. There was probably some context and pertinent details that I'm missing)
It's the kind of thing that hinges on believable chemistry between all three people involved, and boy do the actors pull it off. You can buy them being physically attracted to each other in equal measure. Perhaps just as importantly, we do get a sense that, while chemistry is a big part of why the characters wind up doing what they do, they do share personal connections. There is, at least in theory, a foundation for intimacy of another kind... To a certain extent (more on that later). And between the acting and the script, Micha, Melody and, to lesser extent, Charlotte, get enough characterization to come across as individuals, with believable problems hang-ups. It wasn't long before I was rooting for them to stop hiding and just have a threesome already.
But then, we got to the ending.
[Severyal pragraphs worth of spoilers (click to open)]
They do eventually all get together. But when that happened, and I checked my watch, and realized that there was still 15 minutes left, and I knew that it wouldn't just end there. That there will be a twist. And, sure enough, there was. After spending a fun evening at Micha's cousin's wedding, Charlotte runs off, leaving Micha and Mélodie alone on the beach to, presumably, live happily ever after.
And I'm kind of conflicted about that.
Looking back, I realized that, out of all main characters, Charlotte was the one who got defined the least. At one point, Micha says that he doesn't know what she's thinking, and the same could go for the audience. We don't really get a good idea why Charlotte does what she does (beyond craving physical connections and emotional comforts). We do get a sense that she doesn't necessarily want commitment. And, based on what I've seen... It strikes me that Charlotte winds up sort of a plot device. A free spirit who brought the couple together.
Then again, I haven't seen the first 15 minutes of the movie, so I could be off-base.
And then, there is also the fact that we have the movie that starts with a less than conventional variation on the traditional love triangle, where the characters end up in a three-way relationship that seems to work... only for the movie to end with a heterosexual couple. Not that there's anything wrong with heterosexual couples, but it seems like a cop-out. Sort of like "let us dabble in this unconventional stuff, but let's not commit to it, because that would be weird."
On the third hand.... I'm not sure if that necessarily makes for a bad ending. The final scene is poignant, and I can't say it's entirely out of character. At least based on most of the movie I've seen. It doesn't feel wrong, or all that contrived. In short, it does kind of work.
Ultimately, aside from my issues with an ending, it's engrossing film with nice cinematography, a great soundtrack and some surprisingly effective moments of comedy amidst the drama. And, if, like me, you are interested in three-way love triangles and movies depicting bisexuals... At the very lease it would be an interesting experience.
Here's the trailer:
Click to view