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Monday 8 August 2011

Charmingly deceptive...


ShopCurious had a sneak preview of Pierre Salvadori’s new film, Beautiful Lies. Described as ‘a quirky and hilarious love-triangle’, the curiously charming film stars BAFTA nominated actress Audrey Tatou, who incidentally is the face of Chanel No. 5 and August 2011 cover star of Marie Claire – you may also remember her from Amelie and Coco Before Chanel.

Audrey plays Emilie, the co-owner of a hairdressing salon in the sunny south of France, who receives a curious love letter from an anonymous admirer. Instead of binning the letter, she decides to send it to her mother, who’s still clinging on to the memory of her ex-husband, four years after the break-up of her marriage.

As the plot of the romantic comedy becomes ever more tangled, we suddenly find that we’re considering our own relationships with others – and with ourselves.




What I particularly like about this film is the clash of cultures. Computer keyboard tapping Emilie appears to have developed a fear of classical music, literature and formal education. How refreshing that a beautifully written, old fashioned love letter sparks the flames of passion – and maintains the twists and turns of the amusing storyline.



With so many misconceived exchanges between the characters, as well as the ever-changing trends in hair designs, it’s rather disconcerting that the only constant seems to be the enormous quantity of alcohol consumed by all involved – presumably to numb their real feelings.

Yet the most significant symbol throughout the film is probably the hairdressers’ mirror. We live in a world where appearances mean everything. We go to all manner of lengths to defy the natural aging process, often masking the very quintessence of our being. If Emilie’s salon is a reflection of society, her relationships are a reflection of herself. Ultimately, this is a film about self-love and self-loathing. It’s about trusting yourself to go with your instinct, to slow down and consider the things that really matter… like truth.

Beautiful Lies is in cinemas from 12th August. I hope you find some time to see it.


Will you?

2 comments:

Annie Wright said...

That's a great tip, Susan. Can't wait to see it!

Han said...

I was there at the preview as well (btw I think you were sat next to me and my OH in the foyer - I love your hair!).

I didn't take it that she had a fear of education etc - I think it was that because of Jean's crazy amount of qualifications etc she felt like she was stupid and the stuff that she was saying didn't make sense or would be grammatically incorrect. He then switches off the classical music because he feels that it'll make her uncomfortable.

Anyway I guess it speaks differently to differ people.