Veteran French director André Téchiné has crafted many acclaimed films across his long, storied career. Known for elegant portraits of human relationships, he reunited with legendary actress Isabelle Huppert after decades apart for his latest effort, My New Friends. This marks their first collaboration since 1979’s The Brontë Sisters, so hopes were high.
The film’s premise certainly sounds compelling. Huppert stars as Lucie, a police forensics specialist struggling with grief and ambivalence towards her job following her officer husband’s traumatic suicide. When a charming new family moves next door, Lucie bonds closely with them, especially their young daughter. Things get complicated when she discovers the father, Yann, has violent clashes with the police as part of radical activist protests.
Keen to maintain the friendship despite her misgivings, Lucie hides her own occupation from the couple. Her questionable choice kicks off a tense conflict between personal and professional ethics. It’s an intriguing setup – can bonds of family and friendship overcome fundamentally opposed ideologies?
Unfortunately, Téchiné struggles to deliver on this promising idea. While Huppert pours heart and nuance into her performance, the characters around her lack dimension. The escalating central conflict strains believability rather than offers insight. Choppy editing choices and scattered narration further obstruct engagement.
In the end, My New Friends boasts a compelling premise and a typically strong lead turn by Huppert. But Téchiné’s uneven execution prevents it from reaching the dramatic heights intended. Let’s examine where this well-meaning drama falls short.
An Unlikely Bond Built on Lies
Our protagonist Lucie is really going through it when we first meet her. Still deep in grief over her police officer husband Slimane’s recent suicide, she’s barely holding it together. It doesn’t help that she feels the force failed to support him emotionally on the job. Her belief in the institution she has dedicated her life to is totally shaken.
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In an attempt to regain some stability, Lucie returns to work in the forensics department, restricted to desk duty. The higher ups don’t totally trust her mental state for field work anymore and frankly, she doesn’t blame them. Lucie just wants something to distract from her lingering pain and profound isolation.
When an outgoing new family moves in next door – young mom Julia, rebellious artist dad Yann, and their playful daughter Rose – distractions abound. Craving connection, Lucie bonds quickly with little Rose and strikes up an easy friendship with warm-hearted Julia too. She withholds her career after discovering Yann’s work clashes violently with the police. He’s part of an extremist activist group which has earned him house arrest.
Rather than cool the budding friendship, protective Lucie doubles down on secrecy and lies to the couple about who she is, against her better judgment. When Yann gets tangled in legal troubles related to his radical activities, her dishonest charade unravels. Lucie goes to concerning lengths to use her job resources to illegally help him despite their diametrically opposed politics.
In her desperation to find human bonds in grief, Lucie allows herself to become morally compromised. This strained credibility tests loyalties on all sides when the truth inevitably emerges. While the bonds of family present an opportunity for connection, fundamental deceptions canker even the most well-intentioned relationships.
Muddled Messages and Superficial Conflicts
There’s certainly rich thematic material to dive into here. At its core, My New Friends seeks to explore the clash between law enforcement devotion and radical anti-establishment activism. It’s a timely ideological conflict as distrust of institutions and authority rises globally.
Lucie represents the former perspective as a veteran officer who has lost faith after tragedy. She attends protests opposing violence against police even as she harbors resentment towards the force. Yann embodies the opposing view as a revolutionary firebrand bent on provoking the system through damaging direct action. Julia and Rose become collateral damage trapped between the warring perspectives.
This central conflict never gets the thoughtful treatment Téchiné intended though. Yann comes across more as a temperamental artist than a convincing political radical. His motivations seem vague and poorly conveyed through scant, superficial dialogue.
Lucie flips from cold to nurturing almost randomly, making her own ideological muddlement confusing rather than complex. When she compromises ethics to enable Yann’s crimes, it feels more bizarre than high stakes.
These credibility issues extend to the characters around the central pair. Julia basically functions as a sounding board repeating exposition. Rose contributes little beyond cutesy comic relief. The ghostly presence of Lucie’s dead husband Slimane attempts poetry but lands closer to hokey.
What we’re left with is a provocative scenario populated by dimensionless mouthpieces rather than authentic, conflicted people. No wonder engaging emotionally proves so challenging.
The one saving grace is Isabelle Huppert wringing empathetic nuance from Lucie’s underwritten journey. She movingly conveys profound grief, hints at complex motivations beyond the script’s limitations through sheer talent. If only her outstanding efforts were matched by those around her.
By people-ing his story with superficial mouthpieces rather than fully realized characters, Téchiné underserves his own ambitious ideas about empathy and human connection conquering divisions. My New Friends reaches for timeless themes but unfortunately offers only superficial drama.
Uninspired Aesthetics Further Obstruct
As with the narrative, the cinematography choices undermine engagement rather than enhance the drama. Téchiné opts for an overly kinetic visual style full of perpetually bobbing handheld shots. The instability leaves viewers feeling seasick rather than absorbed.
Rapid-fire editing exacerbates disorientation, chopping scenes into disjointed fragments before connections form. Individual images offer striking compositions but fail to coalesce into meaningful sequences. It’s of a piece with the film’s broader problems with coherence and narrative flow.
The brief 80 minute runtime barely scratches the surface of weighty themes and relationships introduced. We leap abruptly between developments without necessary transitions. This rushed, superficial treatment trivializes potent real-world ideological conflicts Téchiné attempts to explore.
Worst of all, the visual approach distracts from Isabelle Huppert’s moving performance rather than highlighting her empathetic acting. She conveys profound emotional complexity Lucie’s journey requires even as the amateur aesthetics undermine her efforts.
Between the clumsy cinematography, disjointed editing, and abrupt pacing, My New Friends repeatedly sabotages its own potential. Téchiné’s directorial choices time and again obstruct rather than enhance the film’s ambitions. The uninspired execution does a disservice to both the talented lead actress and the worthy themes being explored.
Strong Talent, Disappointing Execution
In the end, like Lucie herself, My New Friends suffers an ideological identity crisis. Muddled filmmaking choices undercut thoughtful aims, while nondescript supporting characters contrast sharply with Isabelle Huppert’s captivating lead work. Téchiné fails to reconcile the clash between potent ideas and uneven execution.
He has a sharp eye for provocative themes still, as he examines the divisions fragmenting society through the evolving bond between cop and revolutionary. Regrettably, an amateurish visual approach and thinly sketched central figures derail the impact. Lucie’s emotional crises around personal trauma, marriage, and ethical compromises want poetic weight, but play more as implausible contrivances.
Viewers eager to watch the legendary Huppert add yet another memorable and moving turn to her expansive repertoire will find rewards here. But those seeking the substantive insight of Téchiné’s best character studies are bound for disappointment. Uneven across the board, My New Friends ultimately fails to earn the affecting human connections it overtly values.
Still, one has to admire the ambition, even as the execution misses the bar set by this veteran director and storied leading lady at their respective best. Téchiné and Huppert both have ample triumphs to return to instead for those itching for that perfect balance of intimate acting and intimate ideas.
The Review
My New Friends
Despite a compelling set-up, timely themes, and a predictably captivating lead turn by Huppert, Téchiné's execution too often opts for contrivance over depth, sketching bold concepts in pencil rather than rich oils. An ambitious premise undone by clumsy aesthetics, muddled characters, and an overly earnest approach, My New Friends proves a disappointing misfire that squanders bountiful potential.
PROS
- Strong central performance by Isabelle Huppert
- Timely premise exploring political divisions
- Ambitious ideas about human connection
CONS
- Uneven execution and amateurish aesthetics
- Supporting characters lack dimension
- Central conflict strains believability
- Themes treated superficially given short runtime
