a review of 美丽的折磨

L'enfer follows a man suffering from an all-consuming jealousy, thinking his beautiful wife is cheating on him. Gradually, the man descends into insanity. The concept is interesting, and in the hands of a director like Roman Polanski or Stanley Kubrick this could have been a chilling psychological thriller. But director Claude Chabrol's old school cinematic style makes L'enfer feel like a dated 1970s film, with several elements that feel out of place, such as farce-like hysterical overacting of the characters, a relatively lighthearted musical score, and bright, sunny colors. There is a certain sense of oppressive paranoia as the film progresses, but it could have been much more powerful if the overall tone wasn't so effervescent. I also wasn't satisfied with the abrupt ending. I understand the thought behind it, but I didn't like it. Summing it up, L'enfer suffers from a genre identity crisis. It's a psychological thriller wrapped in a cheerful, vivacious romcom atmosphere. Ultimately, the French goddess Emanuelle Béart was the main reason L'enfer glued my eyes to the screen. Her beauty is mesmerizing.