by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
What was the last film that you watched whose concept seemed so dumb, but turned out to be so great? The world of cinema is so broad, and we have seen so many tropes that continue to be perpetuated. But sometimes a filmmaker comes along to deliver something completely original and strange. You have Charlie Kaufmann writing a film about people jumping into the head of John Malkovich. You have David Lowrey making a film about Casey Affleck walking around in a bedsheet traveling through time and space. I have even seen an animated movie about a severed hand trying to find its body. But one creator who really knows how to create a concept and run with it is Quentin Dupieux.
But who is this Dupieux guy?
He is a writer/director who has been working since 2002, but he made a splash in 2010 with Rubber. But what is so strange about Rubber? Would you consider a homicidal car tire strange? I know I certainly would! Who could possibly make that work? Dupieux. One of my favorite hidden gems of 2020 is his film Deerskin. Academy Award winner Jean Dujardin finds himself in a pretty stylish jacket (I know I wanted one so badly after this movie), but he has a problem. His jacket must be the best… so he must murder everyone else and destroy their jackets. Wait… what? Yes, that is indeed the premise of a film. But it is so well done that you have to give Dupieux so much praise.
So how does Dupieux continue this train of strange premises?
Well, two bumbling idiots are driving a car to a job and find something strange in the trunk. That strange thing is… a giant fly. Wait, what? You will probably hear that at least one more time. But what do you do with this concept? I do not know what you would do, but Dupieux decides to make a poignant film about friendship along the way. This is such a bold choice when you have such a fantastical element that could easily make up the whole film. But instead, we get to connect with a pair of simple-minded fools along that way in the vein of Jemaine Clement and Brett McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords. Maybe that is why I enjoyed this duo so much.
With such a strange concept that hangs over this new film Mandibles, where does this story take us?
Our bumbling duo of Gregoire Ludig’s Manu and David Marsais’ Jean-Gab decide that they will train this giant fly for profit. On a side note, the effects that bring this giant fly to life are perfect. This fly looks like a giant fly for real. Thank you, practical effects. But back to the journey of Manu and Jean-Gab. They need a place to train, so they take over a mobile home. What a couple of jerks! But they are so foolish and bumbling that you cannot help but find the charm in them. But of course, they screw up this plan. Then they are mistaken by a group of young women and brought into their home. What could go wrong? I would be doing a disservice to you all to reveal any of it. But I do want to give a shout out to Blue is the Warmest Colour alumna Adèle Exarchopoulos. She is constantly yelling and paranoid which leads to plenty of fun moments and tension filled moments.
But how will this crazy journey end?
What are they trying to deliver? Will they ever train this giant fly? Will their friendship endure? So many questions to answer. But I will not be giving you any of those answers. Wait… what? Told you I would get one more in there. You must experience this absurd and wild comedic fantasy. Give Mandibles a go and see what you get out of it.
Grade: B+