Cannes 2015: Mon Roi Review - No Knee-Jerk Romance
Maïwenn shows that, for better or worse, people don't change.
Rating: The press screening of Mon Roi ended with one enraged viewer shouting "egoist" before the usual round of applause began. An odd criticism, especially given that just twenty-four hours before the equally self-inspired Mia Madre had been playing in the same cinema, it totally misses the universal appeal of this admittedly personal story. My King tells the troubled relationship of Tony and Georgio, from a jovial meeting in a club through their increasingly rocky marriage to its emotionally ambiguous conclusion. Intercut between scenes of Tony recovering from a skiing accident years later, it's framed as a story of acceptance, but the real meat is in the development of the couple in the flashbacks. The film is driven by perception. Georgio at first comes across as a charming rogue, only to have the flaws in that initial persona revealed over time; he's a heavily manipulate, impulsive person who lives up to his early joke about being King of the Jerks. But even when he's at his absolute worst, Tony (and, in proof Vincent Cassel will be likeable no matter what he does, the audience) can't help but find some warmth to him. The real kicker in all this is that he doesn't actually change; it's just how Tony views him that has. That's Mon Roi's real ace. Throughout the film the pair develop and adjust, but, even in the final scene, she's still the same person who'd splash water in the face of someone she vaguely recognised and he's still a joker who gives away his phone instead of just saying his number. There's something overwhelming true (and that term is used with full admittance it's an obnoxious phrase) about this, with feelings lingering longer than they logically should and even the darkest moments having a tint of levity. It makes for a personal conflict that cinemas more black-and-white approach to love can often skirt over; Tony loves Georgio, but can't live with him. Emmanuelle Bercot (who directed the festival's opening film, Standing Tall), has a meaty role in the form of Tony. Her wishful early state makes way for pent up rage, even if there's only a couple point where she actually tips over the edge. She singularly sells the recovery vignettes as something integral to the romance thread, putting a believability into the spiritual recovery, but all the while restrained enough to stop the film having a truly happy ending. Keep up with all of our Cannes 2015 coverage on the official page here.