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Mauvais genres
2001 Drama / Crime / Thriller
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Credits
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Director: Francis Girod
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Script: Francis Girod, Philippe Cougrand, Brigitte Aubert
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Photo: Thierry Jault
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Music: Alexandre Desplat
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Cast: Richard Bohringer (Huysmans),
Robinson Stévenin (Bo),
Stéphane Metzger (Johnny),
William Nadylam (Maeva),
Frédéric Pellegeay (Alex),
Ginette Garcin (Louisette Vincent),
Stéphane De Groodt (Pryzuski),
Charlie Dupont (Courtois),
Veronica Novak (Elvire),
Micheline Presle (Violette Ancelin)
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Country: France / Belgium
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Language: French
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Runtime: 105 min
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Aka: Transfixed; Bad Genres; Gender Bias
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Summary
When a Belgian professor is arrested for molesting children, his son, Bo, is hassled by
the police into testifying against him. Years ago, Bo laid a charge against his
father – but no one believed him. Now in his mid-twenties and a transvestite,
Bo mistrusts the police and is unwilling to cooperate with them. However, cooperate
she must when a serial killer begins to prey on prostitutes and cross-dressers in Brussels.
Police chief Huysmans begins to suspect that Bo is the killer, since she is connected
with several of the victims. As the murders continue, Bo becomes obsessed
with her rough-cut neighbour, Johnny, whose sordid life revolves around drugs, sex and
pimping. Although he treats her with contempt, Bo cannot help but be drawn to Johnny,
as though their destinies were inextricably entwined…
Review
Mauvais genres marks a welcome return to the
film noir style policier that was so popular in France in the late 1970s. Director
Francis Girod does a good job of breathing new life into a familiar genre, creating a
film with a fresh, distinctive look, but which clearly evokes the great French thrillers
of the past. However, it is far from perfect.
Like so many thrillers, the thing which lets the film down is its plot. Based
on a successful crime novel, the film attempts to tell too complex a story in too confined
a space populated by too many complex characters. It is not long before the narrative
gets its various storylines totally tangled, the result being a frantic scramble to unravel
the mess in the last five minutes. This is a shame, because the film handles its
suspense elements rather well – perhaps too well, as the denouement feels like something
of a major let down. Whilst big on style, the film is weak on exposition.
What gives the film its "wow factor" is the extraordinary contribution from Robinson Stévenin.
His portrayal of a transvestite (who is one snip away from becoming the woman he/she longs
to be) is worthy of a Greek tragedy, so poignant yet so resilient. Transvestites
and transsexuals are rarely treated with the respect and sympathy they deserve, in cinema
as in all other areas of life, but this film goes some way to portraying them in a positive
light, with compassion, depth and honesty. Stévenin’s convincing performance
was justly rewarded with the Best Promising Actor César in 2002, no doubt the first
milestone in a great acting career.
© James Travers 2005
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