David O'ConnellThe Little Book of Revenge
January 30th 2009 01:57
Used to being constantly belittled, overlooked, and castigated by a superior? Well there are three courses of action available to you: continue to absorb the punishment, leave on your own terms……………or exact revenge!! The third option is the one chosen by Bernard (Marc Beland) in this wickedly black French-Canadian comedy from director Jean-Francois Pouliot and usual writing partner Ken Scott, released in 2006.
Bernard works as an accountant for a wealthy Quebec jeweler Mr. Vendome (Gabriel Gascon), and is subjected daily to demeaning criticism, being ignored most of the time, his importance to daily operations taken for granted. Vendome is an arrogant, pig-headed man who has little social grace and even less desire to interact with his employees on a human level.
Bernard’s life has reached a critical point with his marriage to Sandrine (Pascale Bussieres) on the brink of collapse and his working hours becoming unbearable when he meets a stranger, Robert (Michel Muller), purporting to be his predecessor at Vendome’s. He knows just how Bernard feels, having similarly suffered at the hands of the old miser's tyrannical rule, and his illuminating insights seem to unlock a dark vault in Bernard’s mind, allowing him to see an overview of his life in an objective way for the first time.
The seeds are thus planted by the persuasive Robert and the wheels set in motion for a campaign of revenge, one which will ultimately fulfill a sense of justice for both men. Bernard ruminates on the nature of revenge by keeping a diary – the title of the film - of his thoughts, progress and future direction. Now separated from Sandrine and his daughter, Bernard finds himself inexorably drawn to Robert whose incessantly churning mind has concocted a host of sweet stratagems for the ultimate payback, and before long, they’ve moved into an apartment together.
Pouliot’s polished and occasionally very funny film never loses its sense of playfulness whilst keeping the increasingly elaborate twists within the realm of believability. The two leads are both exceptional, especially the odd-looking Muller as the ever-helpful Robert who, whilst harboring secrets of his own, sees the whole ordeal as a justifiably adventurous comeuppance for the old man; at the same time he tries his hand at correcting the flaws in Bernard’s personal life as well, promising to rid Sandrine of her new boyfriend by any means possible.
Likewise, Beland is perfect as the harried Bernard whose desire to take charge of his own destiny leads to the requisite complications when unexpected twists appear in the road ahead. The tone of the film wavers between mischievousness and carefully engineered moments of suspense and drama, but remains interesting throughout. The hideous Vendome is kept believable enough that we can all relate to people like him in our own life and can’t help rooting for the perfectly executed plan to unfold for these two empathetic retaliators.
The Little Book of Revenge is an admittedly slight but engaging black comedy, its slick visual sheen defying its low budget, with strong performances and a cleverly conceived screenplay which doesn’t shoot itself in the foot with the kind of ridiculous third act the way an American film of this type would. Consistently funny, it leaves you with a smile on your face right up to the ironic final frame.
Bernard works as an accountant for a wealthy Quebec jeweler Mr. Vendome (Gabriel Gascon), and is subjected daily to demeaning criticism, being ignored most of the time, his importance to daily operations taken for granted. Vendome is an arrogant, pig-headed man who has little social grace and even less desire to interact with his employees on a human level.
Bernard’s life has reached a critical point with his marriage to Sandrine (Pascale Bussieres) on the brink of collapse and his working hours becoming unbearable when he meets a stranger, Robert (Michel Muller), purporting to be his predecessor at Vendome’s. He knows just how Bernard feels, having similarly suffered at the hands of the old miser's tyrannical rule, and his illuminating insights seem to unlock a dark vault in Bernard’s mind, allowing him to see an overview of his life in an objective way for the first time.
Bernard (Marc Beland) offers a rare smile for his boss, M.Vendome (Gabriel Gascon)
The seeds are thus planted by the persuasive Robert and the wheels set in motion for a campaign of revenge, one which will ultimately fulfill a sense of justice for both men. Bernard ruminates on the nature of revenge by keeping a diary – the title of the film - of his thoughts, progress and future direction. Now separated from Sandrine and his daughter, Bernard finds himself inexorably drawn to Robert whose incessantly churning mind has concocted a host of sweet stratagems for the ultimate payback, and before long, they’ve moved into an apartment together.
Pouliot’s polished and occasionally very funny film never loses its sense of playfulness whilst keeping the increasingly elaborate twists within the realm of believability. The two leads are both exceptional, especially the odd-looking Muller as the ever-helpful Robert who, whilst harboring secrets of his own, sees the whole ordeal as a justifiably adventurous comeuppance for the old man; at the same time he tries his hand at correcting the flaws in Bernard’s personal life as well, promising to rid Sandrine of her new boyfriend by any means possible.
Bernard concocting a plan with new friend Robert (Michel Muller)
Likewise, Beland is perfect as the harried Bernard whose desire to take charge of his own destiny leads to the requisite complications when unexpected twists appear in the road ahead. The tone of the film wavers between mischievousness and carefully engineered moments of suspense and drama, but remains interesting throughout. The hideous Vendome is kept believable enough that we can all relate to people like him in our own life and can’t help rooting for the perfectly executed plan to unfold for these two empathetic retaliators.
The Little Book of Revenge is an admittedly slight but engaging black comedy, its slick visual sheen defying its low budget, with strong performances and a cleverly conceived screenplay which doesn’t shoot itself in the foot with the kind of ridiculous third act the way an American film of this type would. Consistently funny, it leaves you with a smile on your face right up to the ironic final frame.
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Comment by Teresa Ralton
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Comment by David O'Connell
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It's bound to turn up on SBS sooner or later, I promise to keep an eye out and let you know if it does in case you don't see it yourself.