hink you've got troubles? Count yourself among the lucky if your worries are nothing like those of American pharmaceutical scientist Dr. Shane Brown (Gallo) and his sweetly unsuspecting wife, June (Vessey). The newlyweds have arrived in Paris for what is supposed to be their honeymoon, but their pleasure is forestalled by a dark secret that compels Shane to repeatedly abandon his adoring young bride. In truth, Shane is trying desperately to locate a fellow researcher and former colleague who he hopes can cure him of a compulsion that turns his sexual passions into a thirst for blood.
That colleague, Léo (Descas), has serious problems of his own. His wife, Coré (Dalle), is quite obviously suffering from an advanced form of the same affliction that troubles Shane. She has taken to enticing men with a wordless, almost supernatural animal magnetism to a secluded spot off the main road, where she satisfies her irresistible hunger. Not to put too fine a point to it, Coré kills and partially consumes her anonymous partners, and not always in that order. Léo, horrified but devoted, is left merely to clean up the mess.
As the days go by, Shane travels from lab to lab in search of Léo, all the while avoiding the act of consummation with the woman for whom he heartbreakingly longs. June, confused and frustrated, struggles to understand what torments her husband.
In small, elliptical doses of backstory, we learn that Léo, Coré and Shane once collaborated on a brain-chemistry-altering drug. Shane, motivated by greed, tested the drug prematurely, without Léo's consent, on the only human volunteers he could find—himself and his research partner's wife. That betrayal ended the project, but its legacy has afflicted Shane and Coré with a sickness analogous to vampirism that is ruining all of their lives.
Carnal cinema in every sense of the word
Trouble Every Day is being advertised as "a shocking new film from Claire Denis," and for once, that's no exaggeration. The film sharply divided critics at its premiere at Cannes, with many not only walking out but booing on their way. Its U.S. distributor has elected to release it unrated rather than present it to the MPAA, where it likely would have been deemed too violent and sexually explicit to merit even an NC-17 rating. I cannot stress strongly enough that this film is not for anyone under the age of 17, anyone looking for escapist entertainment or anyone with a weak stomach.
After that preamble, you might be surprised to learn that the mood which permeates the film is not shock or exploitation but a profound sadness and longing. Unlike conventional horror films, the film contains no "gotcha" moments where the soundtrack booms or things jump out of closets. The few moments of genuine horror are clearly telegraphed, and director Denis dares you not to cover your eyes.
Most of Trouble Every Day, though, is not brutal but beautiful. The cinematographer, Agnes Godard, masterfully controls the color pallette, elegantly photographing Paris in cool blues and greens, and in sickly yellows. The color red is reserved for the violent moments, and in those the walls literally drip with blood. Also worthy of note are the understated but eminently believable performances of the four principals. Dalle and Gallo's naturally feral features are especially effectively put to use.
The film, at its own elegiac pace, delivers a poignant, sad beauty seasoned with unflinching depictions of disturbing sexual violence. If this doesn't sound like the kind of movie experience you would enjoy, trust your instincts and steer clear. On the other hand, if you find yourself intrigued and not put off by the more graphic moments, you'll discover that Trouble Every Day provides a challenging mix of art film and horror flick that only comes along once in a very long while.
