The Big Picture
Rating: 5/10
Cast: Romain Duris, Catherine Deneuve, Niels Arestrup, Marina Fois, Branka Katic
Director: Eric Lartigau
Who would have thought a bottle of Cloudy Bay wine would cause so much trouble?
Current French heartthrob Duris stars as Paul Exben, a successful partner in a French law firm; he has it all - a lovely wife, two young children, and is about to take over the firm when its founder (Catherine Deneuve) reveals she's dying.
But when Exben finds out his wife is having an affair with his photographer friend Greg Kremer, (after the discovery of a shared love of a New Zealand bottle of wine) a confrontation ensues and Greg is accidentally killed.
Exben flees - after disposing of the body and faking his own death - but he finds despite relocating and taking a job while posing as Greg, the noose is tightening around him.
The Big Picture is based on a book by Douglas Kennedy - and as was pointed out to me, doesn't follow the same narrative. While the wine reference is consistent, there's a change in other details and tone; the film version feels like a thriller whereas the source material is more black comedy.
However, Duris is impressive as Exben - he begins the film a cocky character all holding his head high; then after the shock of the death, he becomes a swarthy, huddled character who is covered in stubble and physically transformed.
While Duris is good, he can't really escape the plodding direction of the film - in many ways, it feels like two disparate films. The first is a suspense thriller as Exben finds out and the second part sees him trying to find himself. They don't quite gel.
Unfortunately this is where the film doesn't quite fit the bill; there's a confusing segueway into Exben's life in remote Yugoslavia and an untimely end to the film which feels frustrating and unrewarding to the audience because of a lack of real resolution. Sure, we get the trade off for Exben but it's so abrupt that it just stops.
The Big Picture is a muddled film, which feels overly long and
disappoints. It's a shame because with such a screen presence as
Duris projects, it could have been much much more.
