Little White Lies

When this movie hits the DVD shelf, I WILL OWN IT! There, I said it and I make that bold proclamation because this little French film (which by French film standards wasn't little at all) is worthy of a spot in my collection. Les petits mouchoirs or Little White Lies (as it's known here in the US) was originally released in 2010 in France and it has just graced our shores and I'm glad it did. It's basically France's version of The Big Chill, that classic 1983 film where a bunch of old college friends reunite after the funeral of one of their friends. Little White Lies follows much of the same gameplan and it's done exceptionally well right down to the soundtrack of hits by The Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Ben Harper, and David Bowie.

Directed by Guillame Canet, this movie starts off with the camera trailing and following a man in a club, he's waving high, goodbye, kissing women, hugging men and looks like he's having a great time. His name is Ludo played by the Oscar aware winner from The Artist (though this movie was filmed before The Artist), Jean Dujardin. After a tragic accident lands him in the hospital we meet all his closest friends who are devastated. There's the "leader" of the group, the recognizable Francois Cluzet from The Intouchables, the insecure Marie played by Marion Cotillard, fresh off her Dark Knight Rises performance. The rest of the cast, unless you know French film and it's cadre of actors is a collection of talented but unknown actors and actresses. Benoit Magimel plays the steady but frustrated Vincent, Gilles Lellouche plays the man whore Eric, Valerie Bonneton plays Max's wife Veronique, and Pascale Arbillot plays Vincent's wife Isabelle, and Laurent Laffite playing the maddeningly insecure Antione. There is also the sage Jean-Louis (my favorite character) played by Joel Dupuch.

Every years these friends go on a two week vacation on wealthy Max's dime, he's a restaurateur but this year they wonder if they should go due to Ludo's accident. After much debate they decide to go but not before Max is confronted by his best friend and chiropractor Vincent who tells Max something that shakes him to his core and threatens their friendship. You can see Max doesn't know how to handle the news and it effects everything about him during his vacation. From that one paradigm shifting truth are a bunch of little lies underneath. If it's not Eric lying about his relationship, it's Antione lying about the secrecy of texts he's still getting from his ex girlfriend. If it's not Vincent's wife lying to her husband about wanting to be a wanton slut, it's Marie lying to herself about her NOT being a wanton slut and what she really wants. Then there's Max, lying to everyone that everything is fine and that there's nothing wrong between he and Vincent. That is until Max says something off color which makes Vincent try to take Max's head off for it.

Jean-Louis sees through all of this but says nothing, he just smiles and accepts these people for who they are. He's like a second father to Max who used to put Max to work for him digging clams when he was a child so he knows Max pretty well and knows not all is well with this group. Now I'll admit, there are times where this movie could have ended many times and would have been okay. After awhile you may get that "let's wrap this puppy up" feeling more than a few times, I know I did. Don't worry and don't be impatient because the end of this film (when it does finally come) is so emotionally beautiful that it makes me want to own it the second it's on disc. Maybe if you see, which I suggest you do maybe you'll want to own it too and I'll see you at the theater.