La dame dans l'auto avec des lunettes et un fusil

Plot synopsis:
Dany, a secretary, accepts an offer from her boss, Michel Caravaille, to stay overnight at his house and complete a project. Dany formerly worked with Michel's wife, Anita, whom he says will be pleased to see her again. When she arrives, Dany realizes she has left her coat behind. Dany is disappointed when Michel and Anita step out for a dinner party together, and Dany fantasizes about having sex with Michel while he is out.
In the morning, Michel requests Dany accompany him and Anita to the airport to drive their expensive car back home. Afterward, left alone with the luxury car, Dany convinces herself nobody will miss it if she takes it for a joyride to see the sea. After treating herself to a shopping spree, a woman who owns a nearby café stops Dany and asks if she is feeling better. Dany insists that she did not visit any cafés in the town and leaves.
After stopping at a gas station, an unseen assailant physically assaults her, leaving her wrist injured. Several men come running when they hear her cries, but a mechanic is skeptical of her story, as he claims that she had already visited his station last night with an existing injury to her wrist. Annoyed that another person claims to recognize her, Dany says she has only just arrived and did not have any injury prior to entering the bathroom. The others are noncommittal about what they saw.
After being bandaged, Dany continues her journey to the coast, only to be stopped by a police offer who already knows her name. Concerned that she is driving with an injured wrist at night, he escorts her to a hotel. On a hunch, Dany asks the receptionist if she is already registered as a guest, which he confirms. When she points out that the handwriting is not hers, the receptionist says her injured wrist may have prevented her from signing. Confused and starting to doubt her own sanity, Dany exits the hotel and encounters a man who introduces himself as Georges.
Georges refuses to leave her car and asks for a ride. Dany initially refuses but relents when he points out she has obviously stolen the car. She explains her predicament to him, and he suggests the townspeople are playing a prank on her. When Georges learns Dany has two rooms reserved in her name, he ingratiates himself into the second room. As he flirts with her, Dany warms to him, and they have sex. As he sleeps, Dany finds Georges' passport, which has a different name on it. Though worried, she continues to allow Georges to travel with her.
Georges drives them to a scenic spot and leaves to get something from the car; when he does not return, Dany realizes he has stolen the car. Dany hitchhikes to a nearby town, where a trucker uses his CB radio to help her track down the car's current location. After stealing it back, Dany finds a rifle and corpse in the rear. Georges confronts her, and both accuse each other of murder. The two eventually resolve to dump the body and leave together, but Georges finds a note on the corpse that implicates Dany. As he grows hostile, she holds him at gunpoint, only to be knocked unconscious when he wrests the rifle from her.
When Dany wakes, she calls Anita for help, confessing to stealing her car. Anita directs her to a friend's house, where Anita says she will be safe. There, Dany finds her missing coat. Michel appears and explains that Anita had an affair. When the man blackmailed her, Anita killed him. Upset but unwilling to divorce his wife, Michel devised a plan in which she would dress as Dany and make herself conspicuous with a wounded wrist and luxury car. Michel would then murder Dany and arrange the scene to look as if it were a murder-suicide; however, Dany's joyride took her through the same route used by Anita and complicated the plan. Michel attempts to strangle her, but Dany shoots him.

Tags: murder

Review:
A slow-paced stylish dreamlike psychological dramathriller that kept my interest rather well.The story-telling is a bit vague at times and occasionally flat out incoherent but that suits the film and it's main character's state of mind who is a bit of a daydreamer, and is not always 'in touch with reality'.It's a bit of a mystery so the less you know regarding the plot the better you'll probably perceive the film.It felt a bit like something De Palma might have done in the 70's if he made a French movie.
I'm sure there are other French directors that would be better to be referencing but I haven't seen tremendously many French films I must admit.
Turns out it's actually a remake of another little known French film from 1970 by the same name.Just read the main actress Freya Mayor's bio and I was really surprised to find out that she is Scottish, she seemed to be speaking French rather well so thought she was a native French (although I of course is no expert on that).
Anyways she played the role well.It's a very visual film some critics claimed it was a 90 minute musicvideo, I don't agree with that but I guess I can see where they are coming from.
There is a lot of music in the movie and occasionally rather limited dialogue, but it works IMO and the soundtrack is great.
A worthwhile homage to a bygone type of film.
This is not a movie I would recommend to EVERYONE, but a certain kind of viewer would definitely enjoy it immensely, mostly those that are already familiar with the colorful, psychological (and very Freudian) mystery-thrillers popular in Continental Europe in the 1960's and early 70's--movies like "The Frightened Woman", "Girl on a Motorcycle", "La Piscine", "All the Colors of Darkness", "Footprints on the Moon" and even UK/American films like "Repulsion" or "Psycho" fit in here a little.
These films all are based on the old-fashioned idea of women as hysterical, mentally unstable creatures who are both easily manipulated by others and never too far from a complete psychotic break.
Most of these films are regarded somewhat ironically today by their fans (like myself), but, of course, the irony in this movie is completely intentional, just like the nostalgia factor.
The nostalgia meanwhile will no doubt appeal not just to fans of this long ago genre, but also to people who enjoyed other recent Euro films that pay homage to this era like the "OSS 117" films and the romantic French comedy "Populaire" (also a tale about tres sexy French secretary in pre-woman's lib days).I won't rehash the plot, but this is a fairly effective thriller that really keeps the audience guessing about whether the protagonist is hysterically crazy or is being manipulated by others.
Like the original films, it has a strong visual style, also very reminiscent of the recent French giallo homage "Amer", but not quite as over-the-top in its non-linearity and hallucinatory visuals.
The lead Freya Mavor is a very strong asset.
But the same can be said of all the femmes that originally played these beautiful head-case roles--Catherine Deneuve, Edwige Fenech, Barbara Bouchet--or the modern-day actress Deborah Francoise, who played the "shy", sexed-up secretary in "Populaire".The rest of the cast is mostly male and suitably either creepy and sinister or charming and sinister.
His younger wife, who was a former colleague of the protagonist before she married the boss, meanwhile is played by Staci Martin from "Nymphomaniac".
I doubt anyone will be too disappointed though because Mavor herself is certainly sexy enough for one movie and spends most of the film modeling various abbreviated fashions of the day or appearing in various stages of undress (and in one very hot sex scene).Of course, there are many people who are perfectly fine with the fact that they don't make films like this anymore (even in France).
Great aesthetics throughout, beautifully shot, amusingly playful dialogues -sometimes unreal, sometimes carrying shifting meanings or seemingly no meaning at all- this film is a dreamy, sensual ride with a gorgeous actress (and character) on which the camera often lingers...
The male counterpart can also be evocative though, but I like how the film just celebrates this beautiful woman, and with great music makes her attitude even more catchy.
Meanwhile, the character is ambiguous, sometimes naive, other times vindicative and strong, sometimes simply weak.
I struggle to find the underlying meaning of the film and though I have theories I am more than satisfied to let my appreciation of the movie be on a purely aesthetic level..
There is something quite Lana Del Reysque about this movie that is really intriguing and beautiful at the same time.The main female role is perfect.
Very French and suitable for this kind of mystery thriller.
As the girl is on her way to the sea ( that she has never seen) you get the feeling that she is not well mentally...that maybe she has a bipolar dysfunctional personality or something.
And the feeling of mystery - I would say - is the predominant in the movie.It is nicely shot.
8 from me.as it is some 2 hours and 45 minutes to midnight and new 2016, this may very well be the last movie I watched in 2015.
A boring simple film which tries to be artistic....
Freya Mavor is a Scottish (not French) actress and model.
She is thin and tall, easy one the eyes and definitely hot...Well, I really hope you like her ...a lot, because she is practically in ...every scene of this movie!
Walking, driving, observing, changing clothes...There is a plot but is simple and totally naive with today's standards.
The premise is really simple, just the narrative and the editing (lots of split screens and linear wipes) are confusing.Overall: It is a boring film witch tries to be artistic in terms of narrative, editing and cinematography.
The leading lady is practically in every scene so if you like her, you might be bored less.
Generally, I don't recommend this movie..
I love French films.
I was excited by the title of the this movie; I thought it screamed outrageousness and defiance.
The movie starts in an interesting way, but it is as if the writer is not able to handle the ideas or develop them in a compelling way.
The plot is predictable after about 25 minutes into the film.
The characters seem to devolve as the movie progresses instead of rises or becoming more fully realized.
The actors in the film are beautiful and their clothing is attractive.
However, the predictability of the film and the lack of character realization make it in some ways boring.
I guess some viewers might just like watching the actors for their physical appearance and the quaint French scenery.
So, I would not say that the film is awful, because it had potential but did not rise to it..
"La dame dans l'auto avec des lunettes et un fusil" ("The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun") is a remake of a 1970 film of the same title starring Samantha Eggar and Oliver Reed, based on a novel by Sébastien Japrisot, who also wrote the earlier screenplay.
One minor change with significant implications is that in the 1970 film, Dany loses her way and by the time she realizes her mistake, continuing her journey doesn't seem like such a poor or drastic choice.
She is much more inclined to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune than to take arms against a sea of troubles, which makes the plot more plausible but doesn't make Dany a particularly sympathetic or interesting character.
Like the earlier film, the movie is set in 1970 or thereabout, when people used electric typewriters and carbon paper and revisions meant retyping the entire document from scratch.
If the character had instead checked into an isolated inn with a small staff, few guests and only one dining area, coincidental encounters and such might have seemed less unlikely.
Dany meets an egocentric self-serving rogue who is pretty much her opposite number in terms of personality, values and approaches to life.
The movie's best scenes involve their interactions.
This character could be a change agent who gives Dany the skills and outlook she needs to escape her predicament.
Eventually, Dany becomes caught up in the machinations of another character.
This character's grand scheme dramatically impacts Dany's situation.
The character tries to explain away some of the coincidences as some sort of preternatural force guiding Dany's choices.
Dany's early choices could have complicated the other character's grand scheme, forcing that character into various spur-of-the-moment changes.
(There is a bit of that in an encounter at a service station; however, how the other character came to be there in possession of a certain large object and managed to do things and leave unobserved by Dany or other witnesses seems implausible.) If Dany were to form an uneasy alliance with the rogue and develop new skills that allowed her to overcome increasingly difficult challenges presented by the other character's frantic efforts to adjust the grand scheme, it could have been a much better film.
Films like "The Game" and "U-Turn" presented unsympathetic characters attempting to overcome challenges that intensified despite their best efforts.
Dany spends much of the film doubting herself and doubting her sanity.
Instead another character explains everything to her.
At the end of the film, it's not clear if she has grown as a character and become better able to contend life's challenges.
The film leaves many questions unanswered.
The film stars Freya Mavor, which is about the best thing one can say about it.
The USA version,The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun, despite of stars (Litvak Dir. with Samanthe Eggar and Oliver Reed) lacks of the the subtle perversion and 68 french touch of the Novel.
Joann Sfar entered in original text with extraordinary delicacy, and it is able to return to us all the flavors of the novel(including the hidden social dimension), amplifying everything with the music and and a stunning, innocent, sensual Freya Mavor.You must to see it, and enjoy it as a unmistakable song,.
For a long while I thought I was watching a live-action version of "Alice In Wonderland", or perhaps even a time-loop movie; when the elaborate plot finally comes together, it is in equal parts surprising and far-fetched.
I would suggest this movie to people who like slow and deeps flowing thrillers.
Don't get me wrong , i like good foreign film , especially when it is shot in an extraordinary way as this one, really , the directors job is nice and all the flashbacks are making the film very special but there is one huge problem to this film and its the fact that its very very boring.It starts nice and you can see that its full of potential but as it moves deeper into the script its just becoming less and less appealing to a person.I've always liked french actors for their high skills of acting ,this title is no exception , you will enjoy not only the acting of the actresses mark my words .Still , i don't think that this one will be interesting for a high number of public and to be honest i don't recommend it..
Coherence and sense make a lot of watching any film.
Without it, whether from a narrative or thematic standpoint, or both, there's nothing being communicated and thus barely anything worth watching.That's, for the most part, the case here with this film, which is a remake of the 1970's French film of the same name — appropriating that title and narrative, and trying to explore a deeper 'murk' with the operative of sexual encounters driving the confusion that is suppose to neatly unravel the twists in the plot.
However, the sex (why is it always sex?) only stalls the inevitable, underwhelming reveal, spoilers be damned.At very least — emphasis on the "very" — the performances are still somewhat compelling; Freya Mavor is almost effortlessly charming and instantly watch-able, and I definitely get a feel for her character, almost solely off her performance alone.
Also in supporting roles, Benjamin Biolay plays like he's auditioning for David Fincher's next noir thriller and Stacy Martin shows that she can transplant the natural charisma of Young Joe (Nymphomaniac, 2013).
A preposterous plot with a harebrained explanation at the end, where one of the main characters is killed.
Far better to have killed the script writer.
It's something about a secretary being framed for a murder committed by the wife of her boss, and it's kind of a movie about the end of innocence..
Well, to enjoy even the original story, you must either remember or imagine the times without cell phones and developed forensics investigation -- this seems to be a problem for some reviewers here.
If you can, the book has everything lacking in the movie: a beautifully crafted chain of events with the murderer's accomplice constantly modifying his plains to frame and kill Danny and the seemingly unlikely chances that let her escape the net again and again.
But these "random" events are deeply connected with her character that in the book undergoes an exemplary character development, first drifting with the events, then the self-doubt, and in the end taking the things in her own hand before reaching Marseille.
("The phoenix being born again" -- this is really dismal that this memorable point of the book is not shown in the movie at all, it's not even attempted.) Her inner strength is nowhere to be seen in the movie, although they succeeded in showing her meekness as well as her longing for freedom and luxury.The actors seem to have done everything they could within the limits of the script, but Benjamin Biolay is miscast as Monsieur Caravaille: he should be a heavily built strong man, menacing already in his appearance, but energetic and silken at the beginning, not annoyed and lethargic all the time.
Freya Mavor is rather good but her skin is not tanned, which is very important in the book -- this is why everybody she encounters on the road instantly believes she is from the upper class.
And the role of "Georges" is kind of quickly thrown together here, while vivid and remarkable in the book, so Elio Germano did not have a real chance either -- but succeeds to show at least a little from both his easy-going and menacing sides.The air of the sixties is well represented sometimes, in the indoor settings, her clothing and certainly in the mighty Thunderbird itself -- but come on, all the roads are empty and besides the actors there is not a living person in sight at Paris-Orly.
The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun..
First, let me warn you, it's French, so if you don't read good...
It tells the tale of gorgeous redhead secretary Dany, who's tasked with finishing up some work for her boss, and then roped into staying with him in and his wife, to drive their car back home for them, lucky her!!
As she's driving through a small town, she decides to have a little fun, as she tells the locals, shes a corporate exec in advertising, and thats all cool until she's attacked in the restroom, and after that, reality gets a little weird, well, those same locals start talking to her about the stuff that she went through the previous night, with her car's break lights out, and hurting her wrist...
And as she just tries to get back home, she also engages in some naughtiness with a dude, that just seems to be waiting for her, and her alter ego, kinda just goes with it, and well gets screwed in a few different ways by this dude, but finding out the truth is more screwed up than anything that's happened.
Good movie, thriller, with a touch of artsy fartsy thrown in.
BTW, even a low rated foreign movie is better than anything produced in Hollywood!.
The main problem with The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun is that the movie is too slow for its own good.
I am used to European movies with very slow pace; but this one has an editing issue.
Every scene is too long and there are too many unnecessary repetitions or flashback used to suggest the madness of the main character.
A timid secretary Danny is asked by her boss to finish a long and urgent job from his house; with the excuse to see again his wife (and old acquaintance).
The next day she is asked to drop her boss, wife and kid on the airport and return the car to his home.
Danny decides to go to see the sea; and strange things start happening.
The movie is somewhat surreal; but we spend most of the running time in Danny's head and we are never sure what happened or is happening until the very rush end..
Dany (Freya Mavor) is a mousy secretary, "thin with flaming red hair" who gets to work some overtime at her boss' house doing some typing (Pre-computer era).
He (Benjamin Biolay) leaves with his wife (Stacy Martin) and Dany gets to drive his Thunderbird and opts to take the long way home.
On her journey she encounters people who claim she was there the night or day before.
This is very confusing for a girl that talks to herself, bending the audience to a MPD explanation.The confusion that Dany felt, I felt too which appears to be the intent of the director.
There were times Dany had a broken glass lens and other times not.
The film was arty and aloof.
I did not enjoy this confusing thriller like the people who have read the book or seen the older version.French with English subtitles.Guide: F-bomb, sex, nudity (Freya Mavor, Stacy Martin)