There
is little to The Blue Room, at least
in terms of plot, which is probably why the film is a concise 75-minute length.
Based on the novel by Georges Simenon, I can’t imagine what the approach he
used to make this material work as a novel, especially since I am left
remembering the images of Mathieu Amalric’s adaptation. These striking shots
matched by the non-linear storytelling make The Blue Room far more compelling than I would have expected from the
material. I suppose this a testament to the fact that Amalric is as talented a
director as he is an actor, perhaps even better with the right project.
Amalric also
stars in the film as Julien, a middle-aged salesman and family man having an
affair with Delphine (Stéphanie Cléau), the wife of a local pharmacist. During
one of their getaways together, Delphine makes some devious remarks. Suddenly
we are jumping forward in time, to the point where Julien is being investigated
and prosecuted for the murder of Delphine’s husband. The narrative jumps back
and forth like this for much of the film, delaying its payoff far longer than
last year’s Gone Girl. Admittedly,
the payoffs in The Blue Room are far
less dramatic or impactful, and the final resolution may leave some unclear of
the actual truth.
Because of the
simplicity of the film, it takes this non-linear approach to keep suspense
through the running time. This is also one of those situations where a stylized
approach enhances the overall experience. The score from Grégoire Hetzel and
the film’s full frame aspect ratio (1.33:1) call back to classic Alfred
Hitchcock films, such as Vertigo and Rear Window (as well as others not starring Jimmy Stewart), though the
voyeuristic elements are far more explicit in The Blue Room.
The DVD release
includes only the trailer for special features.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical
Significance: 6.5/10
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