Opening Day: 15 Feb 2007 (The Picturehouse)

Synopsis:

Investigative Judge Jeanne 'the pirahna' Charmant, has been assigned an extremely complex case involving the misappropriation of public monies. The charges are being brought against the CEO of a powerful industrial firm, who takes down with him the Board of Directors of which members have links to certain government bodies and political figures. The more Judge Charmant's inquiry progresses, the more the magistrate begins to realise the full extent of her power. As both prosecutor and judge, Jeanne can subpoena suspects and make her own warrants; but when she goes too far, her car is tampered with, she is assigned 24-hour bodyguards and her office is vandalized - her life is turned upside down as she uncovers more corruption than she bargained for...

Movie Review:

Please note these words at the start of this film: "Any resemblance to persons living or dead is, as they say, coincidental." An often repeated phrase in many movies, turned into a mocking pun. After all, Comedy of Power is the parallel of events which exposed the ELF Aquitaine fraud scandal that rocked France and Europe in the 90s.

The subject of this movie is not so much as to inform about the public about the finer details of the ELF scandal but to explore the life of Jeanne Charmant Killman, our protagonist, as she pursues corrupt bigwigs to uphold justice. She comes across as an intelligent, independent woman who has worked her way up the echelons with great work ethics and unmatched tenacity. Faced with a case that attracts such huge public interests and the wrath of the bourgeoisie, Jeanne walks a tightrope with her marriage. Isabelle Huppert plays this role with such pomp, perhaps too much of it that she comes across as unreal when she actually shows some strains of fear for her life.

The director is Claude Chabrol, who has created characters who indulge in a mixture of sympathy and cynicism. They get their points across with certain indifference without a need to explicitly state, argue or shout. However, herein is the problem with the film, as it fails to connect with the audience.

The supporting caste is mostly made up of the unscrupulous men whom Jeanne is tackling, which serves to extrapolate the challenges of being a woman in a largely patriarchal society. Even so, her strongest support comes from a male, in the form of Felix (Thomas Chabrol), her nephew, who has spurned the chance to lead important administrative career to become a part-time crossword puzzle maker.

In terms of cinematography, the only scene that stands out is the uncut take of the beginning five minutes of the movie. Let's just say, it was the equivalent of watching those twisting corridor scenes in The West Wing series with characters coming in and out.

Slapsticks are out for this comedy, as it relies on witty one-liners and statements of irony. It has given this movie a certain air of classiness in that sense. You can't help but note the level of feministic views as there seemed to be no end to the topic of balls. There are moments when you sense that you desperately need a pillow, as Comedy of Power suffers from an overdose of monotonic pills.

Movie Rating:

(The essence of this film is as defined by the words of Felix: "nothing is serious, and everything is tragic")

Review by Sargunan Ilangovan