My King

Mono-named French actress-director Maïwenn's domestic drama charts the stages in a relationship from first meeting to post-divorce, situated against the backdrop of the ex-wife's slow recovery from a knee injury due to a ski accident. Georgio (Vincent Cassel) is a supposedly charismatic restaurateur who is brash, insensitive, and utterly full of himself. Inexplicably, lawyer Tony (Emmanuelle Bercot) is irresistibly drawn to Georgio and the first act is devoted to their joyous courtship. But after they marry, a problem arises in the form of Georgio's ex-girlfriend, an obsessed model who Georgio insists he must care for. Things improve a bit when Tony gets pregnant, but the couple's rows persuade Georgio to take a separate apartment and eventually divorce, although they try repeatedly to get together again, at least to cooperate in bringing up their son. Tony's long rehabilitation finally proves the key to their finding a workable arrangement, of sorts. My King benefits from a cinematically exuberant style that is reminiscent of French New Wave classics, and the stars sink their teeth into the material, but the lead characters are also so obnoxious that it's difficult to muster much concern for them. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)