La Moustache
Encyclopedia
La Moustache is a French
film from 2005, directed by Emmanuel Carrère
and starring Vincent Lindon
, and adapted from Carrère's own novel. The film features music from Phillip Glass. The film was awarded the Label Europa Cinemas prize at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival
and is currently distributed theatrically in the United States
by the Cinema Guild
with a DVD release handled by Koch-Lorber Films
.
ian, taking a bath and asking his wife if he should shave off the moustache
he has sported for most of his adult life. His wife, Agnès, wryly comments that she wouldn't recognize him without it, yet as she leaves, Marc shaves the moustache off. Upon her return, Agnès is angry Marc did not let her in the door when she rang. Marc lies and says he broke his shoelace. In the car Marc asks his wife if she notices anything. She does not respond, wanting to know if he thinks she is dressed too sexy for the party. Later that evening, as the two visit their friends Serge (Agnes's first husband) and Nadia, Serge tells a funny story from his marriage to Agnès, how she was sneaky and refused to admit it, even when found out. Agnès again denies the sneakiness. Frustrated that Serge and Nadia also do not notice that Marc has shaven his trademark moustache, Marc fights with Agnès in the car as they return home, frightening Agnès. As they lie in bed that night, another fight over the moustache ensues as Agnès digs in her heels and tells Marc he's never had a moustache and that she fears for his sanity. Agnès phones Nadia and Nadia claims Marc has not had a moustache in fifteen years. Agnès takes a sleeping pill to sleep.
Marc finds a photo album of pictures from their holiday in Bali, all of which show him sporting his moustache. When he confronts Agnès with these pictures, she ignores him and changes the subject, leaving him even more confused. She suggests Marc see a psychiatrist whom her friend François knew. Marc tries to make the best of his situation, but grows more paranoid and confused when even his co-workers don't acknowledge that he has shaven his moustache. He smokes a cigarette and his co-worker tells him he is fool for starting up again.
His wife is upset at the soccer team and yells at the TV. She is upset when she finds Marc has taken up smoking again. They go out and Agnès insists on buying Marc a brightly patterned jacket ("a clown's jacket" as Marc describes it). Agnès orders a cigarette at dinner, saying they will quit together again later, and cries as she smokes and drinks.
As Marc gets his photograph taken for his work badge, he asks a woman who is also getting her photograph taken if she notices a difference between the photograph that was just taken and his photograph which appears on his I.D. card. She says the moustache is different, and Marc asks her several times if she is sure he has a moustache in the photograph. She confirms this, which leaves Marc more baffled. He returns home early from work.
Marc checks his answering machine to find a message from his father. Agnès' friend Bruno calls and Marc tells him to stop kidding him about his moustache. Bruno assures Marc that Marc has not had a moustache in fifteen years. Marc hangs up on him. In the kitchen, he tells Agnès to call his parents and tell them that he won't be able to come to their house for dinner the next day. Agnès calls Marc's mother, but gently reminds Marc that his father is dead and has been so for a year. Confused, Marc speaks of their best friends Serge and Nadia, to which Agnès replies that she doesn't know who they are and that Marc must be delusional. Very upset and slowly losing his grip on sanity, Marc goes to bed, and Agnès gives him a sleeping pill.
Marc awakes to hear Agnès and Bruno planning to have Marc committed to a psychiatric hospital. Marc quickly dresses and flees the house. In a taxi, he attempts to find his mother, yet due to the sleeping pill and the heavy rain, he cannot find the house in which he grew up. Marc tries to call his mother, but the number he dials is not a valid phone number. He calls Agnès, tells her he is at his mother's, and asks her to pick him up. When Marc sees Agnès and Bruno leave his apartment to pick Marc up, he rushes inside, grabs his passport, puts on shoes, breaks his shoelace and leaves. He flees to Hong Kong, the first available flight out of Paris. His passport photo sports a moustache.
Marc journeys through Hong Kong, traveling back and forth on the ferry all day. After the ferry stops for the night, he pays local sailors to take him with them on their boat. They agree, and Marc arrives at an unspecified village in China. Marc stays at a hotel there for a period of time, becoming known with the locals, and regrows his signature moustache.
Marc arrives back at the hotel to find Agnès awaiting him, as though she has been with him the entire trip. Agnès makes fun of his brightly patterned jacket and asks him why he bought it, hoping he will not wear it in Paris. They go out to a casino and meet new friends that Agnès knows but Marc does not. The male half of the couple shows him recent photos of the four of them in which Marc has a moustache. Marc has no memory of the event, but the pictures are whisked away before he can examine them closely. Agnès notices Marc's irritation and says if he doesn't like their new friends they don't have to ever see them again when they get back to Paris.
In an ambiguous ending, Agnès suggests that Marc shave his moustache so she can see him without it at least once. He does so, and Agnès comments upon how good he looks without it. Whether this final scene was meant to be what really happened or was just an idealised dream of what Marc wished had happened is unspecified.
(Another interpretation of the final scene alludes to the photos from Bali that were referenced earlier in the film. Perhaps Marc's final scene is another chance to live out his wedded life with Agnès, from the beginning of their relationship.)
(Another explanation is that Agnès is a Borderline Personality, and cannot admit she is ever wrong. She finds a way to let Marc shave his moustache off and for her to notice this time.)
).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
film from 2005, directed by Emmanuel Carrère
Emmanuel Carrère
Emmanuel Carrère is a French author, screenwriter and director. He is the son of Louis Édouard Carrère, often known as Louis Carrère d'Encausse after his wife's pen name, and French historian Hélène Carrère d'Encausse....
and starring Vincent Lindon
Vincent Lindon
Vincent Lindon is a French actor who has been active for more than 25 years.Lindon was a lover of Princess Caroline of Monaco from 1990 to 1995. He is currently separated from his wife, the French actress Sandrine Kiberlain.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
, and adapted from Carrère's own novel. The film features music from Phillip Glass. The film was awarded the Label Europa Cinemas prize at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
and is currently distributed theatrically in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the Cinema Guild
Cinema Guild
The Cinema Guild Inc. was established by Philip and Mary-Ann Hobel, producers known for their work in documentaries and features, including the film Tender Mercies....
with a DVD release handled by Koch-Lorber Films
Koch-Lorber Films
Koch-Lorber Films, launched in February 2003, is an independent film distributor and DVD label based in New York...
.
Plot
La Moustache opens with Marc Thiriez, a middle aged ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian, taking a bath and asking his wife if he should shave off the moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
he has sported for most of his adult life. His wife, Agnès, wryly comments that she wouldn't recognize him without it, yet as she leaves, Marc shaves the moustache off. Upon her return, Agnès is angry Marc did not let her in the door when she rang. Marc lies and says he broke his shoelace. In the car Marc asks his wife if she notices anything. She does not respond, wanting to know if he thinks she is dressed too sexy for the party. Later that evening, as the two visit their friends Serge (Agnes's first husband) and Nadia, Serge tells a funny story from his marriage to Agnès, how she was sneaky and refused to admit it, even when found out. Agnès again denies the sneakiness. Frustrated that Serge and Nadia also do not notice that Marc has shaven his trademark moustache, Marc fights with Agnès in the car as they return home, frightening Agnès. As they lie in bed that night, another fight over the moustache ensues as Agnès digs in her heels and tells Marc he's never had a moustache and that she fears for his sanity. Agnès phones Nadia and Nadia claims Marc has not had a moustache in fifteen years. Agnès takes a sleeping pill to sleep.
Marc finds a photo album of pictures from their holiday in Bali, all of which show him sporting his moustache. When he confronts Agnès with these pictures, she ignores him and changes the subject, leaving him even more confused. She suggests Marc see a psychiatrist whom her friend François knew. Marc tries to make the best of his situation, but grows more paranoid and confused when even his co-workers don't acknowledge that he has shaven his moustache. He smokes a cigarette and his co-worker tells him he is fool for starting up again.
His wife is upset at the soccer team and yells at the TV. She is upset when she finds Marc has taken up smoking again. They go out and Agnès insists on buying Marc a brightly patterned jacket ("a clown's jacket" as Marc describes it). Agnès orders a cigarette at dinner, saying they will quit together again later, and cries as she smokes and drinks.
As Marc gets his photograph taken for his work badge, he asks a woman who is also getting her photograph taken if she notices a difference between the photograph that was just taken and his photograph which appears on his I.D. card. She says the moustache is different, and Marc asks her several times if she is sure he has a moustache in the photograph. She confirms this, which leaves Marc more baffled. He returns home early from work.
Marc checks his answering machine to find a message from his father. Agnès' friend Bruno calls and Marc tells him to stop kidding him about his moustache. Bruno assures Marc that Marc has not had a moustache in fifteen years. Marc hangs up on him. In the kitchen, he tells Agnès to call his parents and tell them that he won't be able to come to their house for dinner the next day. Agnès calls Marc's mother, but gently reminds Marc that his father is dead and has been so for a year. Confused, Marc speaks of their best friends Serge and Nadia, to which Agnès replies that she doesn't know who they are and that Marc must be delusional. Very upset and slowly losing his grip on sanity, Marc goes to bed, and Agnès gives him a sleeping pill.
Marc awakes to hear Agnès and Bruno planning to have Marc committed to a psychiatric hospital. Marc quickly dresses and flees the house. In a taxi, he attempts to find his mother, yet due to the sleeping pill and the heavy rain, he cannot find the house in which he grew up. Marc tries to call his mother, but the number he dials is not a valid phone number. He calls Agnès, tells her he is at his mother's, and asks her to pick him up. When Marc sees Agnès and Bruno leave his apartment to pick Marc up, he rushes inside, grabs his passport, puts on shoes, breaks his shoelace and leaves. He flees to Hong Kong, the first available flight out of Paris. His passport photo sports a moustache.
Marc journeys through Hong Kong, traveling back and forth on the ferry all day. After the ferry stops for the night, he pays local sailors to take him with them on their boat. They agree, and Marc arrives at an unspecified village in China. Marc stays at a hotel there for a period of time, becoming known with the locals, and regrows his signature moustache.
Marc arrives back at the hotel to find Agnès awaiting him, as though she has been with him the entire trip. Agnès makes fun of his brightly patterned jacket and asks him why he bought it, hoping he will not wear it in Paris. They go out to a casino and meet new friends that Agnès knows but Marc does not. The male half of the couple shows him recent photos of the four of them in which Marc has a moustache. Marc has no memory of the event, but the pictures are whisked away before he can examine them closely. Agnès notices Marc's irritation and says if he doesn't like their new friends they don't have to ever see them again when they get back to Paris.
In an ambiguous ending, Agnès suggests that Marc shave his moustache so she can see him without it at least once. He does so, and Agnès comments upon how good he looks without it. Whether this final scene was meant to be what really happened or was just an idealised dream of what Marc wished had happened is unspecified.
(Another interpretation of the final scene alludes to the photos from Bali that were referenced earlier in the film. Perhaps Marc's final scene is another chance to live out his wedded life with Agnès, from the beginning of their relationship.)
(Another explanation is that Agnès is a Borderline Personality, and cannot admit she is ever wrong. She finds a way to let Marc shave his moustache off and for her to notice this time.)
Themes
La Moustache captures an element of suspense, though the actions and plot are ambiguous. Many critics have said that the film's events are not literal, but metaphorical and are symbolic of Marc's loss of identity (or of a possible mid-life crisisMid-life crisis
Midlife crisis is a term coined in 1965 by Elliott Jaques and used in Western societies to describe a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some individuals in the "middle years" or middle age of life, as a result of sensing the passing of their own youth and the imminence of their old age...
).
Cast
- Vincent LindonVincent LindonVincent Lindon is a French actor who has been active for more than 25 years.Lindon was a lover of Princess Caroline of Monaco from 1990 to 1995. He is currently separated from his wife, the French actress Sandrine Kiberlain.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
- Marc Thiriez - Emmanuelle DevosEmmanuelle DevosEmmanuelle Devos is a French actress. Devos was born to daughter of actress Marie Henriau in Paris. She appeared in 50 films between 1986 and 2009. She won the César Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in Sur mes lèvres, directed by Jacques Audiard...
- Agnès Thiriez - Mathieu AmalricMathieu AmalricMathieu Amalric is a French actor and film director, perhaps best known internationally for his performance as the lead villain in Bond film Quantum Of Solace and for his role in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, for which he drew critical acclaim...
- Serge Schaeffer - Hippolyte GirardotHippolyte GirardotHippolyte Girardot is a French actor.He is not related to the actress Annie Girardot.-Selected filmography:* 1973: La Femme de Jean, directed by Yannick Bellon, Rémi...
- Bruno - Cylia Malki - Samira
- Macha Polikarpova - Nadia Schaeffer
- Fantine Camus - Lara Schaeffer
- Frédéric Imberty - Café manager
- Brigitte Bémol - Policewoman
External links
- http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/movies/24mous.html New York Times Review
- Official website (in English)