Tre cuori

... had the story better presented more up front in the encounter between him & sister number one, the storyline's evolution & ending would-might have come across with a lot more feeling-meaning... and total-overdrama at the end for him, just made the entire production slide downward a notch or two

... this was-is a stellar cast, doing outstanding work... they all did their part, yet that's only some of what goes into an extraordinary film.... IMDb reviewers getting this one right, a very-decent film, but far from what would be considered a really-really good one... in the end, the tale just lacks authentic-belief, and not just once, and that makes all the difference.

Is there such a thing as true love at first sight? This film attempts to follow the course of three people's lives in the exploration of the question, even if there is no answer forthcoming. Is there ever?

One night in a small French town, a tax accountant named Marc has missed the last train to Paris and chances upon a woman in a hotel bar. They start talking, rather, he runs after her, and we're told they spend the night wandering around in perfect harmony. No names or numbers or other mundane details are exchanged, although they do promise to meet the next week at a certain ___location in Paris.

This seems to be the only time the two characters actually do something, as in, take a decision. From here on out, life just takes over. The meeting at the Jardin de Toulieres (jaw-droppingly beautiful, what is it with Paris and its gardens) never takes place. Marc is prone to panic attacks, you see. Or was it an actual heart attack? Anyway, the two would-be lovers are thus separated. Thereafter, Marc somehow meets another woman, falls in love, marries. But ah! this new woman, Sophie, unbeknownst to all, is actually the sister of the old one, Sylvie. Ergo, path to destruction has been charted.

Read full review at: http://devikamenon.blogspot.com/2016/06/french- movie-friday-3-coeurs.html

This was a funny one for me... while there was a lot to admire about this movie, there were several things that irritated me about it.

On the one hand, it was, in many respects a well-made film; the acting was superb (almost always the case in European movies), the pacing was good, and it was well shot. Some of the scenes were excellent, and the director did a fantastic job of building the tension, and making the audience squirm as the main protagonist dug himself deeper and deeper into a hole of self-destruction. The ending was left deliberately and intriguingly ambiguous (which I like). There were also moments of real comedy, which were well-placed.

There were, however, a number of frustrating aspects to it. Several elements of the plot were glaringly improbable, which made the characters harder to empathise with, and the movie harder to take seriously. The musical score was almost comically ominous and melodramatic. A narrator suddenly popped up halfway through the movie and only appeared twice more - a needless, distracting and frankly baffling gimmick. One strand of the plot fizzled out and proved ultimately irrelevant.

In summary, this movie is worth seeing if there's nothing else on. There are some interesting ideas, some great scenes, and its emotional, passionate nature would appeal to the romantics of this world. The cast is also superb. There were, however, several problems with it, which served to exasperate me.

Director Benoît Jacquot's "3 coeurs" ("3 Hearts") gathers on screen a stellar cast. The three lead feminine roles are trusted to Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Gainsbourg, the daughter of ..., and Chiara Mastroianni, also the daughter of ... and also the daughter of Deneuve in real life. Gainsbourg and Mastroianni play the roles of two sisters in whose life shows up a man - the role is played by Benoît Poelvoorde, whom I have last time seen playing the role of ... God in The Brand New Testament, a film which you should search to see if you happen to have missed. The names and fame of the actors were the principal reasons for which I chose to see this film, and probably also the main reasons for which I will remember it.

Marc Beaulieu (Benoît Poelvoorde) is a tax inspector. A good one and probably even a man of integrity because we see him involved in valiantly handling a high-level corruption case (not really related to the rest of the story). Numbers and determinism may be his profession, but hazard seems to reign in his personal life, which looks like a mess in which he attracts also the two sisters, one after the other. His heart is also feeble, the heart which is said to be for humans the center of noble emotions, but which also distracts and derails the paths of life when it physically malfunctions. Should we let hazard (or destiny) reign upon our lives, or should we try to fix its effects? Is this even possible?

The questions raised by the story in the film are interesting, the resulting film is not really up to the premises. The principal reason is the pace of the story, which lingers for long periods, to jump suddenly at some moments, without a good connection between the different episodes. Good acting cannot save the flaws of the story and especially of the story telling, and despite the promises "3 coeurs" ends by being just another love triangle movie.

I must admit that I approached this film with a quite special a priori. On one hand, I love the actors Benoît Poelvoorde and Chiara Mastroianni. On the other hand, the last three movies of Benoît Jacquot (i.e. Dernier amour, Éva, À jamais) are, in my humble opinion, relatively mediocre.

Marc is a caricature of what is called in French a 'coeur d'artichaut': he falls easily in love. Too easily! Thus, Marc encounters Sylvie but, as soon as they know each other, they lose sight of each other, following an unforeseen event. A few days later, Marc meets Sophie by chance and falls in love ... again. It turns out that Sophie is unfortunately the sister of Sylvie. The film traces then a triangular relationship with Marc and the two sisters, Sylvie and Sophie. As you may guess, the wheels will soon be off the cart!

As usual with Benoît Jacquot, the script is far-fetched and Benoît Jacquot seems to go astray or wander. But the quatuor Benoît Poelvoorde, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve is excellent. Even if his character is barely credible, Benoît Poelvoorde is really great. And Chiara Mastroianni is exceptionally magnificent.

As a synthesis: 5/6 of 10. Although the script is lopsided, the film contains some sublime scenes.

PS: Three coeurs is the tenth film gathering Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve, after these ones: Les lignes de Wellington (2012), Les bien-aimés (2011), Bancs publics (Versailles rive droite) (2009), Un conte de Noël (2008), Persepolis (2007), Le temps retrouvé, d'après l'oeuvre de Marcel Proust (1999), Les voleurs (1996), Ma saison préférée (1993) and À nous deux (1979). Champagne !