SLIFF 2010 Review: THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

* This review contains some spoilers. *

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS is a French film set in Paris.  The story revolves around Adele, a twenty-something women whose boyfriend has just dumped her.  She goes into a deep depression and her cousin, Rachel tries to help. Rachel gives Adele a place to live and finds her a job.  She meets Pierre, then Jacques, but Adele still cannot get over her depression, until she meets Paul – it is love at first sight.  Or, so Adele thinks.

The film has Adele having one misstep after another; she can’t pay her grocery bill, boys throw water balloons on her, and someone smashes her ice cream cone into her face.  Whenever Adele is speaking about her loves, she breaks into song.  Adele is a true romantic who gives up herself to her would be lovers to no success.  The ones that love are either married or too young and every one of her loves looks exactly the same (played by the same actor).  At last, Adele has made the biggest mistake ever and has a complete breakdown; her cousin decides to send her to NYC to get well.  There with the help of another French woman, Adele finds that it is her inability to admit that she is wrong that is the real problem.  She returns to Paris, to restart her life and finds Pierre changed.

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS is a stupid movie.  It is so completely unbelievable that it is hard to feel anything for the characters.  The film used many fade ins and outs from the silent movie era, almost as if you, the viewer, are too stupid to figure out which character is important.  I was waiting for it to end.

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Friday, November 19th at 7:00 pm and on Saturday, November 20 th at 3:30 pm at Plaza Frontenac Cinema.