Dir/scr: Christophe Honore. Fr. 2005. 92mins.
Up-and-coming French auteur Christophe Honore shows a surprisingly light touch with Inside Paris, the follow-up to hissombre, sexually challenging Georges Batailleadaptation Ma Mere. A thoughtful butlightly-executed, often ebullient, family drama with distinct stylistic nods toearly 1960s nouvelle vague, Inside Parisboasts engaging performances all around, especially from charismatic leads Romain Duris and Louis Garrel, intriguingly cast against type. Their rising stockas art-house heartthrobs will boost the film's international appeal andfollowing its unveiling in Directors' Fortnight in Cannes in May - where itssuccess with the public resulted in an additional unscheduled screening - thefilm should have healthy sales and festival prospects. A reliably atmosphericParis backdrop can't do its exports any harm, either.

The film begins with whatappears to be the aftermath of a menage a trois, with two young men and a woman sharing a bed. One ofthe men, Jonathan (Garrel), gets up and explains tothe camera - in the first of several breezily knowing asides - that he's notreally the hero of the story, only its narrator.

The narrative thenbacktracks to the moment when Jonathan's brother Paul (Duris)leaves Paris to move to the country with his girlfriend Anna (Preiss) and her young son - a decision which leads to thecouple's eventual tormented break-up.

Back in the present, adepressed Paul has moved into the Paris flat that Jonathan shares with Mirko, their over-protective divorced father (a dryly funnyscene-stealing turn by veteran Guy Marchand). Tryingto cheer his brother up, Jonathan tries to coax Paul into a shopping trip - butends up making a solo dash across town, interrupted by several impromptu sexualencounters with young women including Alice (Butaud),Jonathan's aggrieved ex.

The fragmented narrative islow on event - key moments include a startling apparent suicide attempt byPaul, and the flamboyant arrival of the boys' glamorous mother (Marie-France Pisier, looking barely a day older than in her nouvellevague prime). Conversely, the film is high on emotional interplay, with Guy Marchand's testy Mirko providinga memorable foil for the two younger men.

Romain Duris further explores theintrospective register of his lead in TheBeat That My Heart Skipped, while Louis Garrel -proven by Ma Mere, The Dreamers and Regular Lovers to be unparalleled as a moody, broody sulker - has a lot of fun trying on the cheeky, rebelliousswagger that used to be Duris' stock in trade. Joana Preiss - who was also in Ma Mere - again makes a strongimpression with her edgy bohemian persona.

Perhaps less substantialthan it initially promises, Inside Parisis nevertheless consistently entertaining in its stylistic dash - nods to Truffaut, Godard et al include 1960s-stylezooms, an unexpected sung telephone duet, and use of vintage jazz on thesoundtrack (along with some more abrasive contemporary indierock).

At heart a talky chamberpiece with virtuoso stylistic trimmings, Honore'sthird feature finds the versatile director - who's also known as a playwright,a novelist and a children's writer - looking at his most comfortable yet. Inside Paris may not be absolutelyexceptional in terms of the so-called 'intimist'emotional drama that's a staple of French cinema, but it's a very agreeable andstylish piece that can only boost the reputations of Honoreand his cast.

Production company
Gemini Films

International sales
Gemini Films

Producers
Paolo Branco
Jean-Christophe Colson

Cinematography
Jean-Louis Vialard

Production design
Samuel Deshors

Editor
Chantal Hymans

Music
Alex Beaupain

Main cast
Romain Duris
Louis Garrel
Guy Marchand
Joana Preiss
Alice Butaud
Marie-France Pisier