Adele (Vanessa Paradis) is an unlucky soul, seemingly doomed to
a meaningless existence with a never-ending series of 15-minute
romances. Fraught with despair, she heads out on a bridge over
the Seine river and gets ready to take the plunge. That's where
she meets Gabor (Daniel Auteuil), a seasoned knife-thrower who
saves her life and enlists her as his new "target".
(Turns out, bridges are a good place to go recruiting for this
line of work. No matter what happens onstage, the girl is bound
to make out better than if she had drowned.)
We soon discover that Gabor is telepathic and that he and Adele have a special link. Like a dollar bill torn in two, each half is worthless without the other. Their spectacular act relies more on Adele's unique essence than on Gabor's throwing skill; his real gift is to sense and harness the luck of his targets. The knife-throwing is a highly sensual experience for both parties, an intense exercise in faith and cooperation that far surpasses mere sex.
Gabor also helps Adele to utilize her uncanny new sense of luck in the casinos, with impressive results.
You know, of course, that all this can't go on forever. The pair runs a very fine line between triumph and disaster, both onstage and off, and their lucky streak is by no means invincible.
The film does a great job of maintaining tension and intrigue, without getting too sensational. The act was very well choreographed on film. Every time Gabor threw a knife, I felt a bit of excitement... and dread. It doesn't matter that I don't buy into the supernatural and the inter-reliant stuff. True to life or not, this couple was fascinating and beautiful to watch. Codependence has never been so alluring.
Kudos to writer / director Patrice Leconte (Monsieur Hire, Ridicule) and co-writer Serge Frydman for a very interesting story, very sensitively put to film. Congratulations are also due to actress Vanessa Paradis (who inspired Leconte to write the story and was the only possible choice for the lead, according to him) and Daniel Auteuil, who won the Cesar (French "Oscar") for his great performance.
I'll tell you what: them foreigners sure make good foreign films... Our George W. Bush Votin', 38 caliber pistol totin' society could never crank out a piece of film like this.