Review:
Chinese
Puzzle is a very good romantic drama/comedy; and it serves as a nice
conclusion to writer-director Cedric Klapisch’s
trilogy following Xavier Rousseau’s love life.
The film is about Xavier
Rousseau, a Frenchman who married an Englishwoman (Wendy) and has two children
with her. They were very happy for ten years of marriage, until one day the
love was gone. Wendy has decided to leave Paris and move to New York to be with
a new man, taking the children with her. Xavier cannot stand to be away from
his children and thus decides that he too will move to New York; however, once
in the city he finds that he is faced with a whole new array of problems – he needs
a job but is not an American citizen or green card holder and is only in the
country on a tourist visa, he needs a place to stay but everything in New York
is crummy and expensive, and he needs to find a way to finish his latest novel
but has all this other stuff consuming his life, including being a good dad and
spending time with his kids. In all this craziness and complication, can Xavier
also find love again?
Klapisch’s trilogy has been about
growing up and discovering who you are and want kind of love you need to make
you happy. For Xavier, life always seems too complicated, as he is constantly
wrapped up in multicultural/multilingual adventures, which leads him to
constantly over-obsess about how difficult it is for him to find love – often getting
in his own way. With Chinese Puzzle, Xavier feels much more grown up, as he is
now in his forties, and yet he still seems fixated on the same questions and
issues (but from a position of more experience). Xavier seems, however, finally
ready to accept the circumstances of his life and not constantly dream of
something else.
This works too for the viewers – especially
those who have followed the series from film to film. L’Auberge
Espagnole sees Xavier in his twenties and Russian
Dolls sees him in his thirties. Xavier’s growth from film to film mirrors
something very relatable in our own lives. We too are constantly searching for
what we think or hope will make us happy, and often that revolves around
finding love. In L’Auberge Espagnole, Xavier does not know what he wants and
his time in Barcelona serves as true experience of awakening for him. He grows
up a lot, ultimately realizing that he wants to be a writer, giving up
economics (which sent him to study in Spain in the first place). In Russian
Dolls Xavier is frustrated by his inability to find a substantial love, not
immediately realizing that the girl for him very well might be Wendy who he is
working with writing a script for a trashy TV-movie. In the end, Xavier
realizes that in fact Wendy is the girl for him. But as is the case with life,
things change and Chinese Puzzle finds the once happy couple at its end.
Chinese Puzzle and Russian Dolls
are similar in many ways, as they both focus on Xavier searching for a way to
simplify his life while being overwhelmed by its complication (or perceived
complication). The main difference, however, is that in Chinese Puzzle, Xavier
has grown up and his priorities have shifted. He is no longer chiefly concerned
with finding love, but rather he wants to be involved in his children’s lives
as much as possible, finding it difficult when he is sort of a
fish-out-of-water arriving to start a new life in New York City (though, he
does have a lot of help from his friend Isabelle).
The narrative decision to have
Xavier try to become a citizen by marrying an American (not for love, but for
the perks) is nothing new to romantic comedy premises, but Klapisch turns it on
its end in a fun way. Firstly, the American girl that Xaiver marries is a
Chinese-American whose parents have recently immigrated to America (she is a
first generation American), when generally a girl such as this would be the one
looking for a green card or citizenship through marriage. And secondly,
Klapisch never introduces a love subplot to their arrangement, when the genre
seemingly demands one (I expected it to happen until the bitter end – that is
how ingrained rom-com troupes are in today’s narratives).
The film, however, seems to have
too easy a happy ending, things wrapping up in a nice cute bow, which does
ultimately take a little away from the film as a whole – especially if
considered as a standalone narrative. For fans of the series, though, it does
seem satisfying too. Xavier is able to get things together in New York,
narrowly missing total disaster multiple times, while also finding what could
be the great love of his life. Xavier has it all in the end, and has matured
into the sort of man I think we all might aspire to be. Plus, all the main
characters in the narrative find themselves in a good place in the end. Again,
this feels a little too rom-com clichéd, given the cynical world that we seem
to live in now, but it is also hopeful that we too will find happiness in our
own lives, and in the end the film and series leaves its viewers happy (which
is sort of a necessary evil of the genre right?).
The film succeeds thanks to its
great leading characters and the strong character work that Klapisch has done
across the series. Xavier, Martine, Isabelle, and Wendy all feel like fully
realized real people – something that is quite rare in romantic comedies (this
is a rom-com, despite the high level of drama because it ends happily). The film
is also extremely funny – like the trilogy as a whole. Xavier constantly finds
himself is awkward and comical situations that play fantastically for laughs.
Klapisch establishes a very
modern artistic visual style in L’Auberge Espognole with a non-linear narrative,
eccentric editing, and fantasy elements all blended together, and this
continues through Russian Dolls and Chinese Puzzle, but it does not seem as
much of an emphasis in Chinese Puzzle. Rather, Klapisch lets his characters
take center stage a bit more, playing the narrative more straightforward,
showing a maturity in his style as a filmmaker, following the characters’ own
arcs.
Finally, Klapisch has made a film
that feels much more multicultural and apart of New York City than most
American films set in the city (which is funny, given that he is a French
filmmaker making a film primarily for French audiences). The film is filled
with many races and cultures, as well as many languages. Klapisch also shoots
most of his scenes in the streets on New York (not Vancouver or Toronto or
somewhere that is not New York City), giving the feeling of what the city is
really like – and, he does not only limit himself to the city’s iconic
landmarks (as they are almost completely left out – although, one can see the
Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, One World Trade Center, among other
landmarks in the background of certain shots). While not specifically being
about New York, it completely captures its spirit – what it is like to live in
the city (and not just visit as a tourist).
Chinese Puzzle works as a
standalone narrative, but is surely a much more satisfying film for those who
have seen the two films that proceed it in the trilogy. It is a great romantic
comedy, built on wonderful characters, humor, and strong dramatic (and even
philosophical) moments.
Technical,
aesthetic & acting achievements: Cedric Klapisch is a very stylish
aesthetic director, but one who lets his characters be the focus (generally).
His work feels much more pop-culture driven than many of his contemporaries in
France, which allows his Xavier trilogy to work very well for American
audiences. It is a French film, but feels very American too. I highly recommend
L’Auberge Espagnole (my favorite of his films) and Russian Dolls as well as
Chinese Puzzle – it is a fantastic modern trilogy (maybe a more pop version of Richard Linklater’s
Before Sunrise
trilogy). I also like Klapisch’s film Paris.
Composer Christophe Minck
(who also scored Russian Dolls) provides the same type of music for Chinese Puzzle
as featured in the its predecessors; however, I found it to be a bit too much,
too quirky at times. That said, Minck does get the music for the dramatic
moments just right. Cinematographer Natasha Braier
is a bit of a rising star. Here, she does excellent work, as the film is
beautifully shot, and Braier wonderfully captures New York City. Production
designers Roshelle
Berliner and Marie
Cheminal do very good work staging New York and Paris (Berliner designing
the scene in NYC and Cheminal in Paris). The cities feel authentic and not fake
as they sometimes do in popular mediums.
The cast as a whole is superb (as
they are across the entire trilogy), aptly handling comedy and drama. Sandrine Holt,
Peter
McRobbie, Jason
Kravits, and Li Jun Li
are all very good in smaller supporting roles. Pablo
Mugnier-Jacob and Margaux Mansart
are also very good as Xavier and Wendy’s children. Kelly Reilly
has the difficult role of playing the character that sets the narrative in
motion, as Wedny she ends her relationship with Xavier and takes their kids to
America. Reilly does this quite gracefully, never feeling like the bad guy (even
though the narrative is primarily told from Xavier’s perspective). She is a
very good foil for Xavier, allowing him to express all the pain he is feeling,
as she has a fantastic steely resolve (but it is also nice to see her come
apart in moments too). Cecile De France
has a ton of fun with Isabelle (as always) a woman who has a good thing going
for her but is a bit reckless with her love life even so. She too is a good
foil for Xavier, allowing him a good friend to confide in. Audrey Tautou
has a bigger role with each film, but in Chinese Puzzle finally becomes a main
character. Her history with Xavier is something that is probably vital for full
enjoyment of the narrative. Here, Tautou is a model of emotional maturity for
Xavier – someone who he can finally feel at home with (even if he does not
realize it initially). She has excellent rage, hitting comedic and dramatic
moments with equal skill. Romain Duris
is fantastic as Xavier. He is incredibly charming, funny, and caring – but also
feels real as those qualities are counter balanced by a short temper,
selfishness, and sometimes emotional vagueness. Duris can pull off cool
effortlessly, while still feeling emotionally accessible (no small trick). The
trilogy is well worth your time if for nothing else than to see his excellent
performance and Xavier’s transformation.
Summary
& score: Chinese Puzzle is a strong and fresh romantic drama/comedy
that will likely please fans of L’Auberge Espagnole and Russian Dolls, serving
as the trilogy’s final chapter. 7/10
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