In "Le Combat Dans L'Ile," Anne(Romy Schneider) discovers a package in her closet which contains a bazooka. Afraid of ending up in an episode of "24," she confronts her husband Clement(Jean-Louis Trintignant) who admits to being part of a right wing terrorist cell with his new friend Serge(Pierre Asso). As part of
his political awakening, he plans to give up his life of privilege and place at his father's(Jacques Berlioz) company. Plus, there is also the matter of the assassination of Terrasse(Maurice Garrel), a local politician.
"Le Combat Dans L'Ile" is an intriguing misstep that starts well but instead of investigating this shadow world further, backs off and becomes just another banal domestic drama. For such an understated drama, the bazooka might seem a bit like overkill but it is probably left over from World War II, like the fascism of Clement and his friends. On a broader note, the movie is about escaping the past and growing up, as Clement in trying to get away from the influence of his dominating father, gets himself in a worse mess than he could have imagined. As one character asks another after a particularly off-the-wall request, "Are you 12?"
May 4, 2010
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