neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Chaos
	Coline Serreau Catherine Frot, Vincent Lindon, Rachida Brakni 2001		A spiky, uncommon movie from France, "Chaos" brings order to the messy lives of two very different women. Paul and Hélène — a well-off, self-absorbed Parisian husband and wife played by Vincent Lindon ("Betty Blue") and Catherine Frot ("The Dinner Game") — are driving to dinner when they witness a trio of men beating a young prostitute on the street, and do nothing to save the girl. Consumed by guilt, Hélène secretly tracks down the hospitalized hooker, Malika, and tries to nurse her back to health. But the men who attacked Malika aren't finished with her, and Hélène is in their way. When Hélène ignores the petty, egotistical needs of her son and husband, flashes of humor mitigate the film's thriller aspects. Rachida Brakni stands out in the role of Malika, swinging from vulnerable to forceful. Even if Malika's struggle to escape her antagonists and exact vengeance is serious business, director Coline Serreau finds light moments amid the grief. Serreau is best known for her domestic comedy "Three Men and a Cradle," successfully remade in English as "Three Men and a Baby." But she eclipses the frivolity of "Three Men..." with "Chaos."