Nobody Else But You [Import]

"Nobody Else but You" is a serio-comic mystery set in the small, snowy French town of Mouthe on the Swiss border. David Rousseau (Jean-Paul Rouve) is an author of pulp detective novels, come to Mouthe for the reading of his uncle's will, which happens to coincide with the discovery of the body of Candice Laucoeur (Sophie Quinton) in the nearby wilderness. Candice was a cheese spokesmodel and television weather girl, which made her a celebrity in Mouthe. Shivering in his hotel room, pestered by his agent to finish the book for which he's contracted, David is struck by this odd story of the apparent suicide of this small town starlet. He decides to investigate. He's discouraged by the local police, until Bruno (Guillaume Gouix), a junior officer who dreams of being a detective in Canada, becomes convinced that Candice's death was not suicide.

Gérald Hustache-Mathieu wrote and directed "Nobody Else but You", intertwining lighthearted black humor and predictable small-town melodrama. Jean-Paul Rouve embodies David's affability, low-key determination, and morbid streak with such charm that the audience wants him to pursue this mystery even when it is not obvious that there is any mystery. In a foray into pop culture idolatry that feels like David Lynch, Candice was a troubled, insecure woman whose difficulties were complicated by her belief that she was the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. That's not as awkward as it sounds, but hearing Candice's thoughts from beyond the grave seemed to me an unnecessary over-the-top touch whose humor falls flat. The first hour of this film is near perfection, but I felt that it loses the balance between melodrama and humor as David approaches the solution.

The DVD (First Run Features 2012): The film is in French with English subtitles. The only bonus features are text bios of director Gérald Hustache-Mathieu and actors Jean-Paul Rouve and Sophie Quinton.

I didn't know this title when I keyed it up. Never heard of it but it received some positive reviews with some tantalizing comparisons to "Fargo" so I figured I'd take the dive. I'm more than glad I did.

Here's the scoop. A hack crime novelist is experiencing writers block. He's in a no man's land type area nestled between France and Switzerland when he sees some men loading a dead woman into the back of an ambulance. He later learns that the dead girl was a much beloved local celebrity who was reported to have committed suicide. A few things surface that throw up red flags for him so he ain't buyin' it. He starts his own investigation and comes up with some surprising results.

Where to begin. This is an outstanding film for any number of reasons. The comparisons with "Fargo," though understandable, are a bit off. Yes you are dealing with a serious crime in a somewhat comic manner, however (and there's always a however) the humor here was more subtle than in "Fargo." For my dollar it made it all the more endearing. The cock-eyed things that happened here were more real. I didn't feel the writing. But that's just the beginning. This is a really good story. The humor is balanced with the girl's story which is tragic. It is openly paralleled with Marilyn Monroe's story but here it's on a smaller scale. Everything happens at a local level as opposed to a national level. But for her it's no different. She finds herself, through happenstance, the center of attention. A rising star in a small market, but the pitfalls are the same. Everyone wants her attention and body. A couple of bad relationships and a descent into booze and pills put her in a downward spiral.

The plotting is as clever as all get out. I saw, fairly early on, who who the real culprit might be, but the way it all came together was a total surprise. But this cleverness runs throughout the entire movie. I was engaged the whole time. The look, music, performances were all right on the dollar. I liked the characters and cared about them. Even the secondary roles were good. There is a gal working the desk at the hotel where the writer is staying. She only has a few minutes of time but she makes them work.

As good as the movie is it also shows the sheer joy in the film making process. It lets the viewer see all the possibilities in the art. It juggles a lot of disparate elements seamlessly and with great affection. If left of center films are your poison, this one will put you in your grave.

I watch a lot of foreign films. I've frequently explained that what draws me to more international releases - as opposed to mainstream and sideline American films - is that the completed product often times feels a bit more inspired than U.S. counterparts. I've mostly attributed this to the American studio system - where so many releases get written for specific actors or go through what I've been led to believe is a rigorous studio process to customize so many elements to an actor's or director's or producer's specific "wish list" - and this tends to suck some of the life out of the picture. And NOBODY ELSE BUT YOU is precisely the kind of film I celebrate discovering. While it reminds me of several U.S. domestic projects, it lives and breathes with a creative vibrancy all of its own.

Rousseau (played by Jean-Paul Rouve) is a top-selling crime novelist struggling with writer's block. Taking a few days off to settle the terms of a distant relative's estate, he happens across the sleepy, snow-covered village, Mouthe, better known as `Little Siberia.' Once there, he stumbles into inspiration taking the form of a suicide: the small-town beauty, Candice Lecouer (Sophie Quinton), apparently downed a bottle of pills while wandering aimlessly through `No Man's Land,' a neutral territory bordering France and Switzerland, and no investigation is deemed necessary. Hoping to use elements of the woman's background for a novel, the author begins his own inquiry into her death, and, eventually, he'll join forces with a local police officer, Bruno Leloup (Guillaume Gouix), when both men agree that things aren't quite what they seem.

NOBODY was written and directed by Gerald Hustache-Mathieu, and, under his capable guidance, it's a thoroughly winning film. Much like the countrywide is draped under blankets of snow, the story is a clever whodunit concealed under several layers of mystery. Hustache-Mathieu carries the metaphor even one step further by bookending the picture with some lyrically playful footage of the stunning Ms. Quinton, photographing her (and her physical attributes) through layers of soft, cottony gauze-like material. She's a perfect specimen - both the actress and the character she plays - and he gets tremendous mileage through telling Candice's history through flashbacks, coupled with Rousseau's discovery of the late woman's diaries.

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out how winning Rouve and Gouix are in their respective roles. When they meet, they're adversaries of a sort; the young detective has been instructed by his commander, Commandant Colbert (Olivier Rabourdin), to discourage the author from disrupting their small-town status quo by turning the late Lecouer's story into fodder for a `dime novel.' Rouve's Rousseau is so detached from the humdrum of his present reality that it's the young detective's first impressions - he's shown personally affected the discovery of the beauty's body - that compels him onward. Separately, they're both a bit stoic and incredulous; together, they make the most unlikely crime-solving team to come along in quite awhile.

And, for that matter, the supporting cast is equally stellar at serving their respective purposes in this leisurely-told story. Rabourdin (as Colbert) delivers his lines with an almost frozen, unemotional staccato, perfectly matched for the climate he inhabits. Arsinee Khanjian shows up as Candice's troubled therapist, Dr. Juliette Geminy, who believes that the star model may've been the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. And Clara Ponsot is absolutely infectious as the hotel receptionist with a curiously in fatuous manner of delivering customer service. It's a winning roster of performances, all put through entertaining moves with an inventive script.

In the end, the story dangles a few threads that never quite get satisfactory coverage (I won't go into details as that'd spoil some of the story), but it's still a charming confection - as sweet as it can be, and even more bittersweet than necessary - all brought to a gratifying conclusion with some surprisingly personal developments for both the living and the deceased. Bravo!

NOBODY ELSE BUT YOU is produced by Dharamsala, France 2 Cinema, Canal+, and a whole host of others (check out IMDB if you're that interested). DVD distribution (stateside) is being handled through First Run Features. The disc looks and sounds terrific, an added plus for some genuinely inspired cinematography (kudos to all production staff involved). The only special features to speak of are some brief cast and crew bios - a tremendous disappointment. Shame on you, Mr. Hustache-Mathieu! NOBODY is precisely the kind of viewing experience that could be enhanced by a commentary track as thoughtful and whimsical as the film you shot. You oughta know better! (Who knows? Maybe there'll be a future release with some nice perks if this release gets noticed.)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. To be fair, NOBODY ELSE BUT YOU doesn't quite answer all of the questions it poses in the story, but that's a small quibble with something so refreshingly dry, light, yet intoxicatingly flirtatious. Stars Rouve, Quinton, and Gouix do wonders with such slim material, and writer/director Hustache-Mathieu shows a mature hand at keeping the pace perhaps a bit slow (especially when compared to the impact of the climax for a whodunit) but reassuringly at ease throughout. This isn't a big splash precisely because it isn't meant to be - it's a mildly dark comedy that teases some noir, some comedy, and even an unlikely buddy-cop picture with fish-out-of-water undertones - but it's entirely satisfying.

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the good folks at First Run Features provided me with a DVD screener of NOBODY ELSE BUT YOU by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review.