ADiff review: Monica Bellucci impresses in Ville-Marie

An ingenious film that dresses tropes and plot lines from soap as verisimilitude

Ville-Marie
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Director: Guy Édoin
Cert: Club
Genre: Drama
Starring: Monica Bellucci, Aliocha Schneider, Pascale Bussières, Patrick Hivon
Running Time: 1 hr 41 mins

Cineworld 9, Sunday 28th, 4pm, 101 min

French screen star Sophie (Bellucci) journeys to Montreal to emote in a ludicrous melodrama directed by her former lover. She meets up with her gay son Thomas (Schneider), whom she has not seen in three years, due to her reluctance to tell him the name of his father. Thomas has recently witnessed a road accident that introduces a paramedic (Hivon) suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and an overworked nurse (Bussières). Guy Édoin’s ingenious sophomore feature borrows tropes and plot lines from soap opera, yet dresses them as verisimilitude. The film within the film provides added playful emphasis. Bellucci has seldom been better as she flexes every known acting muscle.

Can't see this? Try the powerful holocaust drama Son of Saul. Light House 1, Sunday 28th, 2pm, 107 min

Tara Brady

Tara Brady

Tara Brady, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a writer and film critic