All About Them

Jérôme Bonnell's romantic comedy is fresh, frisky and surprisingly chaste considering the amount of bed-hopping going on. The action centres on three twentysomething friends - Micha (Félix Moati), who appears to be the missing link betwen human being and puppy dog, his long-time girlfriend Charlotte (Sophie Verbeeck) and Charlotte's best friend, workaholic lawyer Melodie (Anaïs Demoustier).

Bonnell takes the immersive approach to the relationships here - a stance also evidenced by his keenness for close-ups - letting us gradually catch on to the sexual shenanigans over a dinner during which it becomes evident that Melodie has embarked on a fling with Charlotte. Things are further compounded when it turns out Micha also has a thing for the lawyer - and it seems she's just a girl who can't say "non".

Demoustier - so good in The New Girlfriend - has the ability to seem like an innocent abroad and a femme fatale simultaneously and here she displays terrific comic timing while also delivering the emotional goods when required. Bonnell also handles the mixture of moods with ease, sliding his trio from farcical situations to erotic moments without missing a beat and still somehow finding time to have some fun exploring the conflict Melodie faces in trying to defend a sexual predator in court.

The use of northern France as the setting adds to the feeling of freshness and despite all the fun Bonnell is having, he still displays an eye for a good arthouse shot when the opportunity presents - such as moments with a tablecloth on a beach.

The final stages of the film suffer from Monty Python And The Holy Grail syndrome, as though so much time has been spent on the preceeding 70 minutes that Bonnell suddenly decides to cut and run. It's not quite a cheat but not as satisfying as the action preceding it would lead you to hope for.