LOVE CRIME (CRIME D' AMOUR)

France, 2010, 104 minutes. Colour.
Ludivine Sagnier, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patrick Mille, Guillaume Marquet.
Directed by Alain Corneau.

A rather trite title for what is a much more complex murder drama. The main people that the central characters love is themselves.

This is the final film from distinguished French director, Alain Corneau (Choice of Arms and the drama about 17th century music, All the Mornings of the World/Tous les matins du monde). It is a character study as well as a drama for the committing of the perfect crime. I should have picked up the clue (well, I partly did) that had the power to unravel the perfect plan.

The film offers very meaty roles to Ludivine Sagnier and Kristin Scott Thomas (as a French character without some explanation, as in other French films she appears in, that she has a British background). We see the two together at the opening. Kristin Scott Thomas is the boss, supremely confident, and Ludivine Sagnier is the mousy, bespectacled assistant, who is hard-working and intelligent. They profess devotion to each other. The boss also encourages her protégé to seize the day – no matter what. And, of course, this is what happens. And it becomes a battle of wits and tactics, disloyalties and betrayals, some humiliations and, ultimately, vengeful violence.

There is also the boss’s husband, debonair and handsome, but financially crooked and emotionally fickle.

The first part of the film sets up the characters and the conflicts in the context of international business deals as well as in more intimate interrelationships. Then the crime.

We see who did it, so it is not a murder mystery. The mystery is how the murderer can get away with it. And the method is not what we (or the police) would expect, fascinating to see how the murder, cold-blooded, was set up, and tracks covered (with some black and white flashbacks to fill out the detail) and a plot to incriminate a third party. Intrigue, on the part of the killer, and intriguing for the audience.

I have been careful not to give away who is murderer and victim – much better if you come to the love crime without knowing what is going to happen.

1. Thriller, psychological drama? The execution of the perfect crime? Motivations? The title?

2. The background of the Paris business world, offices, offbeat homes? Prison, shops? The musical score?

3. The film as a psychodrama, Isa and her character, obsessive, breaking the mould, wearing glasses, her hair up, bringing it down? Passion with Philippe? Cold with Christine? Businesslike with Daniel? Her success, Christine humiliating her, the crime, the plan and her control, performance, changing? Achieving the perfect crime? Her Achilles heel and being discovered?

4. Isa and her age, seeing her initially with Christine, at work, the affection between the two? Philippe arriving, Christine and her devotion? Isa and her work at night, her ideas, for better sales, surprising Christine? Christine sending her to Cairo? The success of the meeting, the details, the response of the executives? Philippe, his advances, the sexual liaison? Was Christine deceived or not? Christine giving the credit to Isa? The issue of Washington, the new product, Daniel feeding the information to Isa, her keeping it from Christine? The success, the midnight phone call – and its failure? The meeting, Christine and her hoping to go to New York, Philippe and communication? The setup, the call? Her dressing up to meet Philippe? Her being humiliated – and the effect of watching the video of her activities?

5. The murder plan, relying on her sister, getting revenge on Christine, on Philippe? The apartment, throwing away the weapon and the clothes? The night, unable to sleep, her arrest, her bewilderment, harassed, confessing, the reaction of the judge, the lawyer? Her going to jail? Her changing?

6. Her denial of committing the crime? The further investigation? The details of the flashbacks, the issue of the knife, her buying it, the saleswoman upset, later finding the knife? The issue of the scarf? In Philippe’s car? Going to the cinema, creating a scene at the box office, leaving the cinema, Daniel confirming that she had been at the film? Sawing the branches in her garden – and the scratches, the witness of the neighbour? The police, the interrogations, finding the scarf, Isa’s being set free?

7. Her sister, the visit, posting the documentation about Philippe?

8. The board meeting, Philippe and his arrest? The scarf, his being framed?

9. Christine, her age, experience, her business sense, the relationship with Philippe, her attraction towards Isa? Working together, her ambitions to go to New York, the planning of the apartment? The board meetings, her manner of conducting them? Her control? Not going to Cairo, her own relationships? Her attitude towards Isa, knowing about Philippe or not? The deception about Washington, her being upstaged? Her anger? The humiliation of Isa with the video at the party? At home, Isa murdering her?

10. Philippe, his business deals, deception? His relationship with Christine? The brittle marriage? Sexual activity? With Isa? Christine calling his bluff, the appendix to the information, keeping it safe, Isa getting it and sending it to the authorities? His arrest?

11. Daniel, working with Isa, devoted to her, giving her the information, affirming her? The Washington plan and its success? His travelling with her – and his revelation that he understood about her collapse, the taking of the pills, the placebos? His hold over her?

12. A satisfying French drama and crime film?