Marc (Vincent Lindon) and his wife Agnes (Emmanuelle Devos) own a lavish upscale flat in Paris. He is a busy professional with a well established career, she is successful in her profession. Yet, the couple always finds time to go out, have drinks, do the things that keep a marriage potent.

As Marc and Agnes prepare to go out and meet with friends he decides to surprise her and shave off his moustache. She has never seen him without one. He is excited, even slightly nervous. Minutes later he comes back, looks at Agnes, and smiles. He waits for her reaction.

But there is none! Agnes grabs her coat and quickly runs down the stairs. Later on during dinner Marc is convinced that everyone is playing a game which isn't funny. Not anymore! Neither his wife nor his friends mention the missing piece of hair. He is upset, they are puzzled! No one remembers Mark having a moustache!!

A twisted mindbender of a film which starts off as what the French often describe as comedie-dramatique and then quickly becomes too dark to be tagged a conventional thriller Emmanuel Carrere's La Moustache a.k.a The Moustache (2005) is indeed something of a puzzle where genre categorizations are impossible to apply. Switching action from Paris (first half) to Hong Kong (second half) and back La Moustache reminds about the stripped of excessive glamour work of Michael Haneke where logic is always tricky to uncover.

In the center of this intriguing film are two actors whose perfectionism is well known. Devos is as precise and convincing as ever supplying the story with enough raison d'être for the viewer to remain perplexed, not bored. The psychological alteration she undergoes is also as sizable as that of Lindon's character.

It is Lindon's acting however that moves the film in the desired by Carrere direction. The twofold formation of the story (fiction and reality overlapping each other) is perfectly captured through the actor's vast arsenal of facial expressions: surprise, confusion, anger, pain, defeat, etc. The psychological erosion the main protagonist reveals is both fascinating and disturbing at the same time. Can a missing piece of hair unleash so much drama?

In addition to the top-notch performances La Moustache also benefits from the unnerving but brilliant Concerto for Violin and Orchestra by Phillip Glass whose intensity matches Mark's agony perfectly. There are moments of sheer brilliance in this film where the intoxicating vistas from Hong Kong mixed with a lonely violin solo are enough of a reason to forget how confusingly fractured the script actually is.

Awards/ Recognition:

Winner of the Europa Cinemas Award at the Cannes Film Festival (2005). Winner of the FIPRESCI Award (Emmanuel Carrere) at the Chicago International Film Festival (2005).

How Does the DVD Look?

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and enhanced for widescreen TV's the film looks stunning. Colors are lush and vivid, contrast is impeccable, edge-enhancement isn't an issue, print damage is non-existent. Furthermore, detail is very impressive -- I watched this disc through a digital projector and the image remained tight to the frame without taking away from the above mentioned detail. Last but not least I must note that this is a properly converted progressive print which will delight those of you with high-end home set-ups.

How Does the DVD Sound?

Presented with a French 2.0 DD track the film sounds fine, there are no issues to report here. Dialog is easy to follow and the optional English subtitles are rather well done. I am a bit disappointed however that the more elaborate 5.1 track from the R2 disc is not included. Given the splendid music score (what a beautiful violin concerto) it is a shame that US audiences must only listen to a 2.0 mix.

Extras:

Aside from the original theatrical trailer for La Moustache and a very uneventful "behind the scenes" KOCH have provided a splendid interview with the director of the film Emmanuel Carrere and editor Camille Cotte. In it the two discuss in detail the puzzling sequence of events, the confusing transformation the main character undergoes, as well as specific creative decisions the team made while adapting the story from the book La Moustache is based off of. Furthermore, the duo spends a great deal of time deconstructing the enigma surrounding Mark during the second half of the film (is it him or his wife that has a problem).

Final Words:

An impressive effort from Koch Lorber Films for an equally impressive film! This is the second disc after their splendid Un Coeur en Hiver that I had the pleasure reviewing and I am very, very pleased by what they have done (no more improper PAL-ports). If this is what we are to expect from Koch Lorber Films in the future then make a note: they have moved up in the elite echelon of R1 distrtibs. What an incredible turn of events!! Bravo!!