Trouble every day [DVD] (D)

Claire Denis’ “Trouble every day” is a hard to categorize genre film which seductively mixes up vampire mythology with cannibalism to explore the darker side of sexuality, fidelity and desire. The film follows parallel narratives which eventually converge, opening on a initially erotically charged heterosexual coupling which ends with the brutal murder of the male. The woman (played with mute ferocity by Beatrice Dalle), naked and covered in blood and gore is later discovered by her resigned husband (Alex Descas) who disposes of the mangled body, takes his wife home and ties her to their bed. Meanwhile an American doctor (Vincent Gallo) and his newlywed wife arrive in France for their honeymoon. Unbeknown to the young bride her husband has come to Paris with a darker agenda in mind. What begins to emerge is that the doctor and the murderess from the start of the film share a rare pathology that becomes shockingly apparent as the film plays out. Denis deliberately keeps the story opaque, instead relying heavily on mood created through the mournful and lush soundtrack by the Tindersticks and the evocative imagery, lensed by Denis’s regular cinematographer Agnes Godard. What emerges is a mysterious and compelling experience that doesn’t shy away from the more corporeal aspects of the story. Cast includes: Tricia Vessey, Florence Loiret, Nicolas Duvauchelle.