A Girl Cut in Two

François Berléand is probably best known to mainstream audiences as the grizzled cop turned friend to Jason Statham in the 'Transporter' action series.  He is quite charming and able to handle Statham's locomotive personality, but at 56 not many would picture him as the seducer of young twenty-something Ludivine Sagnier. Not only do they appear incompatible, but Berléand manges to pull the seduction off effortlessly and Sagnier appears grateful for it.  But this is no match made in heaven on your typical romance, in fact the relationship between their two characters turns rather sinister.

The 69th film that he has co-written with Cécile Maistre, Claude Chabrol's 'A Girl Cut in Two' is a story of seduction and envy on many levels.  As Charles Saint-Denis, Berléand is a wealthy author past his prime living in a countryside home with his loyal wife Dona (Valeria Cavalli).  Now in the twilight of his career, his confidant and editor Capucine (Mathilda May from the 80's sci-fi horror 'Lifeforce') persuades him to participate in a Paris book signing where he meets alluring young weather forecaster Gabrielle (Sagnier).  Gabrielle is also being pursued by spoiled pharmaceutical heir Paul Gaudens (Benoît Magimel) who seems to desire her only because Charles does, but it is the former she eventually takes as her lover.

Though the age difference between Charles and his new mistress is met with disapproval, their relationship while seemingly romantic, is merely recreation for Charles who returns to his wife's bed every night.  Gabrielle, infatuated with a man who could have been her father, not only surrenders herself completely, but doesn't even protest when he introduces her to his colleagues at the private brothel he frequents.  Though Gabrielle eventually takes up with Paul, she is by no means the victim of the story. Much like Charles and Paul, Gabrielle is in the pursuit of something greater though it comes with a price and Sagnier gives an intriguing performance as a submissive woman who is actually in full control of her life.

Sagnier's known to American audiences for her role in the international hit 'Swimming Pool' and as Tinkerbell in 'Peter Pan' and like Berléand and Magimel she effortlessly plays an individual torn between the love of her life and a spoiled man-child who desires her for the wrong reasons. Chabrol's film takes a harsh look at the French bourgeoisie of today and what we find isn't pretty at all.  These are people who fail to realize that the methods they use to manipulate one another can lead to tragic results like the 1906 murder of Stanford White from which the film's story was inspired.