M, 98 minutes
4 Stars
Review by © Jane Freebury
Like many a French relationship film before it, this new comedy-drama draws attention to attitudes towards marital fidelity among the home crowd. I am ahead of myself, yes, but it’s hard not to reflect on the mistresses of prominent men, from French kings of the ancient regime to emperors to recent presidents, that France has been famous for. If there appears to be a breezier attitude to cheating on one’s partner there than in other countries, this seems to be supported by social research at think tanks. After all, France is the home of love, non?
We’re talking male infidelity of course, but here, the shoe is planted firmly on the other foot, when Iris (irresistible Laure Calamy) decides on action after realising that she and her husband have not had sex in years. The disclosure comes as something of a shock to her, no doubt. They’ve led such busy professional lives, and there are daughters aged 10 and 15 years to look after. And while Stephane (Vincent Elbaz) is in the habit of taking his laptop to bed to complete his day’s work, Iris, a dentist, can only immerse herself in some explicit bedtime reading.
The revelation comes during a session with her osteopath that is amusingly interpolated with the opening credits. It’s straight to the point, as Iris strikes suggestive poses and responds to intimate questions.
Calamy gives her all to her natural, open and generous character
It takes a female stranger to suggest to Iris that she subscribe to a dating app, which she does with alacrity, adopting the avatar of Isis. Now that sounds more like it. A goddess worshipped by the ancient Egyptians for her skills as a magical healer and a role model for women. Even Bob Dylan once sang a hymn to a woman like that.
The dental surgery becomes social media central for Iris as the notifications fly in, interrupting her appointments with patients. The noisy insistence of the sound she has chosen is funny/annoying, as is the attitude of Iris’ receptionist/assistant who must surely know what is going on but pretends not to. Delightfully played by Suzanne De Baecque, Nuria has to excuse her boss’ silly dizziness by observing there is too much Novocaine around.
Anyway, generally speaking, Iris/Isis has a good time of it. From hapless Julien/alias Alphonse (Sylvain Katan), who becomes a stalker, to polyamorous Sylvain (Laurent Poitrenaux) who begins with striptease to the decidedly more sinister No Vanilla (Alexandre Steiger), into S&M bondage secured with ties, to everything in between.
As Iris gets going, she throws herself into each single-occasion encounter, gentle and positive to begin with, they then become rather scary. I can’t say that every encounter quite matched up to the airy nonchalance that the film wants to maintain, particularly one involving a guy who draws down his security shutters. It is hardly credible that Iris doesn’t experience some seriously threatening encounters among the risky hook ups.
And in another jarring moment at a family meal with friends, Iris makes an awkward challenge to the advice on consent that young people today receive, especially daughters. The implications of these ideas could have been thought through more. They will give pause.
A breezy seriocomic sex film that gives pause
Remarkably, Isis stays fresh and unscathed by her sexual adventures. I have to admire the French, and in particular writer-director Caroline Vignal, for keeping everything somehow clean where many others would have failed. And Calamy is wonderful in the role, giving her all to her natural, open and generous character.
It was, of course, writer-director Vignal for whom Calamy took the lead role as Antoinette, a schoolteacher, with a talent for doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, chasing her married lover on a hike through the Cevennes. We all adored her character, striving to act femme fatale while being caught out by her clumsiness, in a delicious comedy that managed to stay clear of cringe.
While Iris and the Men, aka It’s Raining Men, navigates some risky business during its clandestine amorous quest, it doesn’t quite capture the breezy charm of the director’s earlier collaboration with her star. A tongue-in-cheek reference to one of the great classics of French romantic cinema, A Man and A Woman, and Calamy’s upbeat song-and-dance number, strive for a lighter mood, but the film’s serious side gets in the way of pure comic release.
First published in the Canberra Times on 18 August 2024. Jane’s reviews are also published by Rotten Tomatoes