287. Wonders In The Suburbs ( Merveilles à Montfermeil); movie review

 

WONDERS IN THE SUBURBS (MERVEILLES À MONTFERMEIL)

Cert TBA

109 mins

BBFC advice: TBA

Audiences would have to be well-versed in French politics to fully grasp the nuances of Wonders In The Suburbs.

Jeanne Balibar's movie is part romance and part heavy satire with what appears to be a lampoon of liberalism.

It begins with the divorce after a long separation of Joëlle (Balibar) and Kamel (Ramzy Bedia) who are both on the staff of Emmanuelle Joly (Emmanuelle Béart), the newly elected mayor of Montfermeil, an underprivileged town on the outskirts of Paris. 

It would be an understatement to suggest that the new leadership has offbeat ideas - they promise naps for all, crops on rooftops, sexual assistance in the home and harmonisation of citizen's breathing.

Oh, and Montfermeil will have an incomparable International School of Languages.

At the beginning, her eccentric team seem to be on the same page (for example, they all wear kimonos and kilts on the appointed days) but fractures begin to emerge.

And then suspicion grows that there may be insiders who may be prepared to sabotage the groundbreaking (or plain crazy?) work.

This results in even more exaggerated behaviour than there has already been.

Wonders In The Suburbs is a 109-minute-long joke which wears thin after the opening half an hour.

It appears to poke fun at liberal politicians but I guess could be seen as the left mocking the right's view of them.

Simultaneously, it seems to be commenting on how the public goes along with whatever madcap ideas are presented by policy-makers.

This feels especially well-timed given the various fiascos we are witnessing over the Covid pandemic.

However, if there are serious points, they are beneath the surface. Wonders In the Suburbs' main engagement comes from its surreal sketches. 

Unfortunately, they didn't prompt any laughs from me but I presume tits comedy will chime with those in the political know.

Reasons to watch: If you enjoy very off-the-wall comedy

Reasons to avoid: Will be too surreal for many tastes

Laughs: None for me

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 5/10

Did you know? Montfermeil is famous as the location of Thénardiers' inn in Les Misérables.

The final word. Jeanne Balibar: "I like the idea that reconciliation of lovers comes through looking at the world as it is and as it could be; it's something that interests me and matters to me. Not from a strictly personal or psychological point of view but because it is politically optimistic."

Share this post