Film: Love Me If You Dare
Release date: 29th May 2008
Certificate: 15
Running time: 93 mins
Director: Yann Samuell
Starring: Guillaume Canet, Marion Cotillard, Élodie Navarre, Thibault Verhaeghe, Joséphine Lebas-Joly
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Format: DVD
Country: France/Belgium
One of Marion Cotillard’s stunning earlier performances, Love Me If You Dare is a fantastically witty romantic drama; a love story which spans from childhood into adult life. With its playful yet ultimately dark content, it became a sleeper hit in Europe, and helped push Cottillard into the limelight as one of France’s most promising talents.
Love Me If You Dare tells the tale of two children: a boy, Julien, from a middle class Belgian family, and a girl, Sophie, from a poorer, Polish background. They become friends when Sophie, the object of much bullying at school stemming from her family’s status, is pushed around by other children at the bus stop. Julien realises that he should be kind to her, and so shares a decorated tin box with her, a gift from his fatally ill mother, but asks that she give it back from time to time. Angered by his quick change of heart, she insists that he must prove to her that he wants it, and without hesitating, Julien takes the hand-break off the stationary bus and their game of dares begins.
Throughout their childhood, they play this game, challenging each other to win the box back, and it continues well into their teens. But their relationship becomes more troubled as they grow older - they can no longer tell when the other is being serious and feelings start to get hurt. Reminiscent of When Harry Met Sally, it seems to imply that a man and woman can’t be best friends without romantic feelings developing. However, without knowing when to draw the line, the two have a bitter argument and stop being friends. Although they move on, and in attempts to hurt each other marry other people, neither of them forgets the other or the thrills of their games that nothing else in their lives can live up to.
Around twenty years on from when they met, the two come back round to play one final game of dares…
The film follows their shared childhood closely, with a fuzzy, dream-like hue to the proceedings reflecting their perceptions of the world. Particularly the zooming camera work, a kind of photogrammetry, when we are linked with Julien’s point of view and his obsession with wanting to believe humans can fly. Scenes jump around as does their concentration, but it comes across as more charming than confusing. There are many amusing fantasy sequences, including a fantastic interpretation of the Garden of Eden, with their teacher as the tempting snake and their principal playing God. To punish them, he not only curses Sophie with the pain of childbirth but with the pain of dieting, high heels, face lifts and cooking. Whereas Julien, he punishes with Godzilla, the A-Bomb and Hitler.
As the narrative moves out of their childhood, things stop looking so rosy, and start becoming more realistic in appearance. Their games progress from silly to cruel, and the visual representation of this shift is clear and extremely effective. The hallucinatory and fantasy sequences become less frequent, and the visual style seems to grow up as they do. As their dares become more dangerous and bitter, a harsher view of the world is needed. This progression is key to what makes this film so enjoyable to watch - you are completely absorbed into the world as they experience it.
‘La Vie En Rose’ is a musical motif throughout the film, with different versions being played other than the original by Edith Piaf, including Louis Armstrong, Donna Summer and French pop artist Zazie. Marion Cotillard seems to be inextricably linked with Piaf, as she went on to win an Oscar for her portrayal of her in La Vie En Rose. The song punctuates throughout the narrative, always memorable. There is some decretive piano during the more romantic/heart-wrenching scenes, but it doesn’t standout so much as just add a little something to the mood.
Cotillard and Canet couldn’t be more suited to the characters they play, and they perform wonderfully together. Their acting is genuine and acute, with such fantastic chemistry, it’s no wonder the two have been dating since working together, and she is currently expecting her first child by him. They manage to pull off the complexities of the character’s childish attitudes to reveal their tender feelings for one another underneath, which save the characters from appearing completely obnoxious and self centred.
The two leads are enchanting, and the storyline is great fun with a little black comedy mixed in. Approach it with the right attitude and you will be richly awarded.
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