Chaos (2001)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Absolutely Fantastic

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This movie was sent to me by accident because there are several movies with the title "Chaos." As it turns out, I absolutely loved this film! This is definitely not a movie for everybody. It is really quirky and some people are not going to understand the humor. If you read some of the other reviews, some people don't even realize this is a funny movie. It is certainly not a funny subject.A middle class couple stand by as a prostitute is beaten up. Later, the woman tries to make amends by tending to the victim, who turns out had been sold into sex slavery. Despite that, it is actually really funny. It ends up being about a war of the sexes and female empowerment.The movie looks like it was shot on video, but it looks great. It also has a real jazzy soundtrack. All the acting is good and the characters are engaging. You like the good ones and hate the bad ones.If you like real off beat, quirky films, you should see this French version of "Chaos."

It is a romantic comedy. No, it is a drama of class conflict. No, it is a crime thriller. No, it is a chick flick – all the men are either brutes or comically clueless while strong women bond. But wait! It is all of these – and more! At first thought, one might well jump to the conclusion that such a mixing of tones is a sure recipe for…well…chaos. But writer/director Coline Serreau blends all the elements perfectly into a funny, suspenseful, and uplifting film. It begins with a professional couple (Catherine Frot and Vincent Lindon) rushing out of their apartment, late for a dinner engagement. On the way there, a woman, obviously a prostitute, who is being pursued by three men, runs toward their car yelling for help. Lindon locks the doors. The woman is caught and is being savagely beaten as the couple drives away. Lindon doesn't want to be involved, but Frot finds the woman unconscious in a public hospital and becomes her major caregiver and protector. Frot is excellent. Rachida Brakni, who plays the young woman forced into prostitution but trying to break away, is a terrific new talent. Can a guy fall in love with two women at the same time? I did while watching this movie. This just in! Director Serreau did such great work that she has landed the job of directing the inevitable Hollywood remake of her own film, due in '06. It looks like Meryl Streep will take the role played by Catherine Frot. Some days I think I must go mad.

To say that this movie is a feminist movie wouldn't be fair, because even though only the women in the film are triumphs, whether it's a female or male character they're all honestly wrote. This movie could've been more of a strict screwball bourgouis comedy if it weren't for the character Noemie. I think the movie brilliantly creates 2 kinds of tones coming from 2 different modern female oppresions, one is the female oppressed by the world most of us are more familiar with, enslaved in her family and chores, the other is the female oppresed by lowest depths of tragedy, enslaved in prostitution and old Algerian society. It doesn't leave out neither of their stories. Combined, the movie becomes an exuberant and hilarious revenge story with uncompromising edge, providing also a constant study of values in modern life. But most of all it's a very juicy plot, a lot of suspense and comedy going on, and it's nice that all the supporting roles have a real and entertaining place in the story too. the result is very thrilling, it can make a woman righteously feel less serious about romance, because it seems to provide a lot factual observations towards man/woman relationships, for example Noemies key tactic in making a man insanely in love with her is by being unattainable, and that seems to work the other way around for men too like Fabrice, at least in the beginning. The fact is, in the movie, romantic love seems a little lame, a little silly, yet they all ring true, which is I think the most triumphant achievement for writer/director Coline Serreau. I think this movie even transcends screwball comedies, particularly the Depardieu or Auteuil ones, whereas those are only charming and satirically not interesting enough, this movie really makes you care and cheer with it, rather than grin and think it's cute. Overall this movie is really fantastic, I can understand why Meryl Streep wants to play the main character, the choice seems to match her kind of ambition and attitude and I hope Coline Serreau can pull the Hollywood one off well too.

What impressed me more than anything about "Chaos" was the energetic acting. The two female leads seem absolutely driven in their portrayals, and it's a good thing, because their characters need all the energy they can get to cope with the whirlwind of savagery and plot twists in this terrifically entertaining (though sometimes hard to watch) film.The only thing I disliked in "Chaos" was the cardboard portrayal of the husband. Though I consider myself a Francophile and have long enjoyed French films, I find French farce heavy-handed and really hard to take--and this role was handled farcically. But that's perhaps a cultural quibble, and overall I was greatly impressed by the film.Highly recommended, but not for the squeamish.