Trouble Every Day (2001)

Director: Claire Denis
Stars: Vincent Gallo, Tricia Vessey, Béatrice Dalle
Runtime: 101 minutes

Synopsis: Two American newlyweds in Paris experience a love so strong, it almost devours them.

Verdict: A pillar and prominent name of the New French Extremity and accompanied by filmmakers such as Gaspar Noé, Pascal Laugier, or, more recently, Julia Ducourneau, Claire Denis’ filmmaking approach shines in its ability to tell a lot by showing very little. Her movies are character-driven pieces, often supplemented by a cold, ambiguous atmosphere enclosed in themes of eroticism and sensuality. Likely to leave audiences with more questions than answers, it comes to no one’s surprise that they tend to be divisive amongst audiences and critics alike, and it’s not her unusual horror piece “Trouble Every Day” that will convince anyone otherwise.

In fact, the film which stars Vincent Gallo and Béatrice Dalle was panned at the time of its release a couple of decades ago, scoring a sub-par Metascore of 40. However, I’m of the mindset that “Trouble Every Day” deserves another shot at redemption as I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it for two days now. It’s undeniably a frustrating watch that expects the audience to assemble the enigmatic pieces provided by the narrative to grasp a better understanding of what’s going on, but a highly rewarding one for those patient enough to let it brew in their minds for a little while. It’s a prime example of the “show don’t tell” type of Cinema, a clear obstacle when it comes to content accessibility.

Without spoiling much, I’ll try my best to give a synopsis of the narrative based on my understanding and interpretation of the events that so heartlessly unfold. If you want to go in completely blind, which is the ideal way to experience it, consider yourself warned. Set in Paris, “Trouble Every Day” sees American newlywed Shane look for an old colleague of his, Léo, whose partner Coré has the unusual habit of devouring the people she sleeps with. All three used to work together at a laboratory and, without ever describing what exactly happened, it is clear that an experiment gone wrong led to Coré’s alarming behavior. One can only assume that Léo is at least partly responsible for that outcome, as he’s seen burying the bodies of his companion’s victims while working tirelessly to find a cure for her illness. It’s a delicate situation only made even more complex by Shane’s showing of similar vampiric symptoms. He always abruptly ends love-making sessions with his wife, starts to act awkwardly around her, suffers from recurrent headaches… He knows that he’s a ticking time bomb, and hopes that Léo can help him out before he eventually goes too far.

Without revealing anything else, all that context makes for a rather chilling watch that ends on a horrifying note. “Trouble Every Day” is the type of movie that slowly starts crawling under your skin after the credits start rolling, when you find yourself sitting alone with your thoughts trying to piece everything together. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I hope that it eventually gets the recognition and following it deserves.

FINAL GRADE: 9/10