Roman De Gare

3 stars out of 5.

Boy, there's nothing the French like better than a confusing non-linear narrative huh? That will show Hollywood! The audience--we spit on the audience. Let them follow the "plot" if they can. Or so it seems. Anyway, while this subtitled mystery flummoxed me, they at least offered an explanation at the end (no spoilers here), which is more than David Lynch would have done. And, best of all, it was one of those rare French films which featured neither Gérard Depardieu nor any of the other old familiar faces (except Dominique Pinion, the ghost writer, who has been in quite a few French films that made it to these shores). Entertaining if you like being both baffled and perplexed, and don't mind being poked every few minutes by the person sitting next to you, looking for an explanation. Entertainment? Maybe. Art? Maybe. Brain-teasing? For sure.