Monday 10 January 2022

Mubi Monday: Deerskin (2019)

Although I am a very big fan of Rubber, the Quentin Dupieux film about a rubber tyre with the ability to kill people (there's much more to it than that, but that is the gist of it), I had actually never seen any other film from the talented writer-director until now. I definitely need to check out more of his filmography because Deerskin was another film I really enjoyed.

Jean Dujardin plays Georges, a man apparently at a crossroads in his life. Recently separated/divorced, he ends up staying in a small French village, where he befriends a bartender, Denise (Adèle Haenel), who also has aspirations of working in editing. Georges decides to convince Denise that he is currently trying to put together a film, despite a serious lack of funds. It's not really his idea though. The main premise for the film is formulated by a new deerskin jacket that Georges has bought for himself. Yes, this is a film in which a deerskin jacket communicates with someone, and more specifically relays a message about wanting to be the only jacket in the world.

Although he presents a lot of things onscreen that could easily be dismissed as silly, dumb even, Dupieux is a very smart film-maker. I don't think he's ever made a movie without a firm idea of the things that he really wants to say. Deerskin may be about some deerskin clothing, on the surface, but it feels like it covers a lot of ground, much of it open to interpretation by the viewer. Does the jacket, and other items of clothing that Georges ends up coveting, represent an attempt to reclaim anything that can make someone feel special? This is a standard mid-life crisis on display, it just so happens to be one that centres on something a bit less flashy than a fast car, motorbike, or younger sexual partner. There are also the obvious comparisons to make between the business of film-making itself and how things play out between Georges and Denise, with the balance of power shifting as Denise supplies money to Georges while he delivers footage that he wants made into a film. 

And let's not forget that, as meta as Dupieux so often loves to be, the film itself may be ultimately pointless, a means to an end as Georges convinces people to swear off wearing a jacket while they ditch their outermost layer of clothing. People have made many films over the years that have been completed by lying to, and manipulating, others. Deerskin seems to want to also explore that concept, one that will not be unfamiliar to other film-makers (whether it's getting footage without a permit, making up different tales to secure financing, or any other way in which the truth is made more malleable to get a sellable end product).

Dujardin is very good in the lead role here, a man who has his sense of desperation eased by the company of others who can share their own aspirations. He's a schemer, but it's a scheme that allows viewers to stay on his side for a decent part of the runtime. Haenel is just as good, a bright and optimistic young woman who surely knows that something isn't quite right with the arrangement she gets herself into. Is she playing a long game, or is she naive enough to think everything will work out for the best? Haenel gives nothing away with her performance, and even the very end of the film leaves some interesting questions about her character.

As well as writing and directing, Dupieux is also the cinematographer and editor. He knows how to have his vision look best onscreen, and the music by Janko Nilovic is a fine accompaniment. Which isn't to dismiss the good work of anyone else behind the camera. It's just very obviously a Dupieux movie. Not quite as good as Rubber, it's still very enjoyable. I highly recommend it to anyone familiar with Dupieux's style.

8/10

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2 comments:

  1. Similarly, I happened to catch Dupieux's follow-up to Rubber, WRONG, ten years ago (!) at Fantasia, which I enjoyed mightily, and then never did myself the favor of keeping up with his work! Thanks for putting him back on my radar!

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    1. Looks like we both have some more Dupieux in our near futures then ;-)

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