French Exit

With all the commercial films offered today, once in a while we are given an independent film or two to take us to a place that we usually are forced to learn from, or are exposed to characters that can be obscure and quirky. These films aren't necessarily to escape into as opposed by their commercial counterparts. "French Exit" is one of those film in which odd, quirky people are showcased, and they are in spades.

"My plan was to die before the money ran out", says 60-year-old penniless Manhattan socialite Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer), but things didn't go as planned. Her husband Franklin (voiced by Tracy Letts) has been dead for 12 years and with his vast inheritance gone, she cashes in the last of her possessions and resolves to live out her twilight days anonymously borrowing an apartment from friend Joan (Susan Coyne) in Paris, accompanied by her directionless son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges) and a cat named Small Frank--who may or may not embody the spirit of Frances' dead husband. When in Paris, Frances meets and befriends a small group of oddball misfits: Madeleine (Danielle Macdonald), who is a medium, Mme. Reynard (Valerie Mahaffey) and Julius (Isaach De Bankole) that seem to match the way that both Frances and Malcolm feel.

Others to round out the cast are Imogen Poots as Susan, Daniel di Tomasso as Tom, Eddie Holland as young Malcolm Price, Matt Holland as Headmaster and Christine Lan as Sylvia.

This was directed quirkily by Azazel Jacobs ("Danger 44" '99, "Nobody Needs to Know" '03, "The GoodTimesKid" '05, "Momma's Man" '08, "Terri" '11, "The Lovers" '17) plus TV and shorts. While viewing this film, I couldn't help but think that it was a lot like watching a Wes Anderson film. And although I mean this in a positive way--almost a homage to his style, I kept thinking of Anderson with its staging, pace and quirkiness. Like Anderson, this filmmaker has done a plethora of indie films--look at his resume, and this simply became more intriguing as it enveloped. It was equally written in an oddball way by Patrick DeWitt ("Terri" '11, "The Sisters Brothers" (based on the book) '18), based on his book. As with any film based on a book, reading it probably would've been advantageous in fully understanding the storyline a bit more, but his screenplay, while a bit confusing at times, was certainly a very interesting character study. A psyche major would have a ball with this. Every character in this cast had a degree of dysfunction, whether small or great. It became difficult to decide whether you pitied these people or felt they deserved their particular outcome. Certainly if you liked the absurd storyline of "The Sisters Brothers", you'll appreciate this. Michelle Pfeiffer's slightly snobbish demeanor was interesting, especially how she must succumb to realizing her imminent poverty. And Lucas Hedges' role as Malcolm was staid, practically stoic in his performance which must have difficult to pull off, but he never disappoints in the roles he plays. 

Again, if you like indie films that unfold as a great character study with a very, very powder dry sense of humor, this film will please. Being an indie film makes it one that is not for the mass audience, but one that showcases fine acting and directing, so to see this is to appreciate art more than just being entertained. This was released back in February 2021, but because of the pandemic, it was released now.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                         Rated: R                                          113mins.