Trouble Every Day (2001) - Review in 4K Ultra HD

      **Trouble Every Day, 2001.**

      **Directed by Claire Denis.**

      **Starring: Vincent Gallo, Béatrice Dalle, Tricia Vessey, Alex Descas, Nicolas Duvauchelle.**

      **SYNOPSIS:**

      An American doctor, recently married, travels to Paris to find a woman who shares his cannibalistic inclinations. It’s ironic that a film from the New French Extremity movement is now considered old and is being released on physical media by Eureka’s Masters of Cinema label. No matter how avant-garde it may be, time inevitably catches up with everything.

      This is true for Shane Brown (Vincent Gallo), an American doctor who is on his honeymoon in Paris with his wife June (Tricia Vessey), though his intentions are far from romantic. He is on a mission to locate his former colleague, Dr. Léo Sémeneau (Alex Descas), and his wife Coré (Béatrice Dalle), with whom Shane once had an obsession. His fixation stems from Coré's craving for human blood, a result of her husband’s neurological experiments, leading her to seduce men and kill them during sexual encounters, shortly before Léo has to dispose of the remains.

      Shane harbors similar dark urges to Coré, which he finds increasingly difficult to suppress. After discovering the Sémeneaus' location, he leaves June to visit the troubled couple, where no humor is likely to occur.

      "Trouble Every Day" sparked considerable controversy at Cannes, provoking walkouts and fainting spells among viewers. Understanding the context reveals why it is such a bleak and unsettling film, especially in a time when Hollywood was still producing polished yet inferior "Scream" replicas. The film’s raw and intense nature no doubt shocked audiences. Now, nearly 25 years later, following trends like torture porn, J-horror, and extreme French cinema, the more gruesome elements of "Trouble Every Day" may not seem as offensive as they once did.

      However, the reactions to the gore scenes—which are rare—do not detract from their impressive and realistic presentation. It’s important to note that "Trouble Every Day" focuses more on emotion than action, attempting to convey a sense of grappling with overwhelming desires, albeit for human flesh rather than love or acceptance. Yet, outside the scenes that develop these themes, there is a lack of significant action, resulting in a slow-paced experience, particularly when Vincent Gallo and Béatrice Dalle are not present, as the other characters, through no fault of their own, come across as much less engaging.

      The film's first act is largely devoid of dialogue, leading to a struggle with character development and the drawn-out nature of quieter scenes, such as when Shane carries June into their hotel room and they simply lie on the bed while the maid prepares the sheets. Though Shane’s later interactions with the maid provide more substance, these prolonged, meandering moments do little to clarify who these characters are or their motivations.

      Once the film does reach its climax, it does so in a distinctively artistic French manner, presenting sex and death in equal parts. While Claire Denis likely aims to communicate something about desire and the heart's inclinations, what that message is remains unclear. It may be intended that viewers simply observe flawed individuals engaging in harmful acts due to their impulses. However, the absence of a clear resolution or deeper meaning results in the film feeling gratuitous and somewhat self-indulgent.

      This dual-format 4K UHD/Blu-ray set is limited to a release of 3,000 copies, featuring a new audio commentary by horror scholar Lindsay Hallam, an archival commentary by director Claire Denis and cinematographer Agnès Godard, an interview with New French Extremity expert Alice Haylett Bryan, and a video essay by film scholar Virginie Sélavy, all likely providing more context than what the film’s script offers. Nonetheless, "Trouble Every Day" is worth a watch for those who appreciate extreme horror, as it showcases a time when graphic sex and violence were less common outside of underground film festivals and obscure direct-to-video productions. While it isn’t as relentlessly brutal as "Frontier(s)" or as existentially unsettling as "Martyrs"—despite its attempts—it’s certainly not suitable for a first date or a family viewing during the holidays, given its graphic depiction of cannibalistic rape, which is not for the faint-hearted.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

      Chris Ward