If Seth Rogen is dominating Hollywood screens as America’s everyman, Virginie Ledoyen could certainly be considered the French equivalent. Seen by Australian audiences in 2009 in A Pain in the Ass and in the upcoming My Friends, My Loves, Ledoyen is strengthening the symbolic modern French female with her roles – strong yet fragile. French films are often best at explaining that our desires drive us to act selfish and crazy but the need to live honestly justifies those choices. Whether you morally agree is up to you, but the understanding of how the simplest thing can spiral out of control is the basis of Ledoyen’s venture in Un baiser s’il vous plaît (Shall We Kiss?).

The positioning of the narrative as a story within a story is clever from writer/director/star Emmanuel Mouret, but even more so on later reflection. Gabriel (Michael Cohen) and Emilie (Julie Gayet) meet by chance, their encounter teetering on a goodnight kiss – but the importance of this action leads Emilie to intervene, her justification coming through the tale of friends Judith (Ledoyen) and Nicolas (Mouret). Mouret’s observations on human affection will leave swimming thoughts in your head as we see them in us, living our lives desiring; always wanting more. Basic human instinct tells us that we crave closeness, as we find out from Nicolas, who is desperate for physical affection. Judith, willing to help out her best friend, obliges, but after their very awkward encounter the consequences become their worst nightmare. For these two along with Gabriel and Emilie, the kiss is central as the can-opener for the relationship. Mouret uses its power to exemplify how kisses are often underestimated.

The romanticised hope is reflected by an off-beat central couple, while storyteller Emilie keeps it ever cool towards Gabriel. With Judith’s husband Claudio (Stefano Accorsi) and Nicolas’ girlfriend Caline (Frederique Bel), Mouret uses a small, tight ensemble to show the reaches of their affair. Shall We Kiss? improves as it goes on – Mouret accentuates sensuality with his choice of shots but keeps it light with awkward dialogue and a sneaky plan to move the plot along. With such a tight cast, the performances don’t outshine one another; Ledoyen and Mouret play up their relationship as their initial seriousness dissipates. The awkwardness of the couple, aiming for a screwball effect, plays fairly well for the majority but at times doesn’t achieve its reach. However, the use of the double narrative (often unnecessarily used) works well here as gradual reveals about Gabriel and Emilie link the two stories together. It reminds us of how we reminisce ourselves, and forces us to see how we relate to others’ stories and use them as a form of defending fears and desires. Mouret reinforces the film’s purpose of thinking about love through the use of this structure as well as the film’s finale, which leaves a lasting impression. But among all the connotations the film gives off an unsatisfied feeling; it’s perhaps unclear how deeply Mouret wants his story to be read.

Verdict

The quirkiness of the film may seem pointless for some but others will find it amusing at best. Strong-yet-fragile Ledoyen is indeed the every-woman in Shall We Kiss?, a film striving to point out what we should know but often ignore.

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