Lemming

B+

Directed by Dominik Moll

Dominik Moll has the potential to be France's next Henri Georges Clouzot, a.k.a France's next Alfred Hitcock. His ability to build suspense out of seemingly yawn inspiring domestic situations is exciting and refreshing and a harbinger of an immense talent that will eventually produce something special if he doesn't stray from the path. Although "Lemming," his second major effort, isn't quite as good as his first "With a Friend Like Harry," it remains a rather firm affirmation that Moll is a talent to be reckoned with.

Alain and his wife Benedicte (played here by my cinema crush Charlotte Gainsbourg) lead a seemingly perfect life--Alain is an up and coming engineer at a local firm and Benedicte is a busy housewife--until their marital bliss is interrupted by a visit from Alain's boss and his excentric spouse Alice (an unbelievably spooky Charlotte Rampling). Things start to go awry after their unfortunate visit and Alice begins to intrude in Alain and Benedicte's wife until one day she inexplicably commits suicide after an unannounced visit to their home. Thing only get weirder afterwards as Benedicte becomes increasingly aloof and Alain fears losing her to his lecherous boss.

Moll has firmly established himself as the king of domestic suspense. His previous film "With a Friend Like Harry," was a fantastic psychological thriller that was both plausible and gripping, guided by tight direction from Moll and buttressed by supremely talented actors. Moll's ability to build suspenseful narratives out of seemingly mundane events without having recourse to elaborate dream sequences or supernatural explanations is refreshing in a genre where many filmmakers just can't seem to keep the tension going without having to resort to a crazy, often barely plausible third act or some other type of shenanigan to make everything fit. In this respect, "Lemming" can be considered something of a failure since Moll builds up the tension to a point where he cant deliver a denouement that both satisfies the viewer and jives with reality. he therefore ends up having to throw in a certain amount of supernatural happenings into the mix to make everything "fit." That's too bad, mainly because he found a way to keep the tension high without having to cop out in his previous film "With a Friend Like Harry" which is why I consider "Harry" a more complete success than "Lemming."
Regardless of how plausible the story is and the undoubtedly sloppy third act, Moll has an unmatched ability to create creepy, atmospheric pieces out of everyday situations that appear (mostly) believable and are reminiscent, dare I even say it, of some of Hitchcock's spookier pieces.