Star Rating:

Baden Baden

Director: Rachel Lang

Actors: Claude Gensac, Salome Richard, Lazare Gousseau

Release Date: Friday 30th September 2016

Running time: France minutes

Aimless Ana (Richard) bounces around from job to job but finally finds some direction in her life when her grandmother Odette (Gensac) falls and is taken to hospital. Realising that the apartment needs to be adjusted to accommodate granny's limited mobility, Ana begins with the bathroom, turning the bath into a walk-in shower and ropes in Gregorie (Grousseau), an accommodating employee at the local DIY warehouse, to help. Meanwhile Ana keeps tabs on her artistic ex Boris (Chantreau) and reunites with friend/former lover (Noemie Rosset)…

Doesn't sound like much, does it? Baden Baden's tossed together, shoulder shrug approach to narrative will infuriate as much as it fascinates. It ambles about and marches to the beat of its own drum, usually in a direction away from what one might expect. The undercurrent of sexual attraction between Ana and Gregorie doesn't develop as expected (yet remains totally believable), and the development that Ana is bisexual doesn't reveal itself until late in the day. Typical of the storytelling style, which seems to mirror Ana's lackadaisical attitude to everything, these moments (and more like them) are inconsequential. There are just part of the tapestry of Ana's life where stuff just happens and people do random things. Why does Ana hang onto her rented Porsche? Just because.

It peaks in the first sequence – Ana as chauffeur is forty minutes late bringing the star to set and is subjected to a vicious tirade at the hands of her boss (Sam Louwyk), a rant of such rage his words are indecipherable – and doesn't come near that level of intensity again, but Baden Baden subtle charms keeps interest levels intact. What’s behind Ana's aimlessness keeps one curious and Odette's Betty Whiteisms are a hoot. More fun is had in the editing with writer-director Lang using sharp cuts for laughs: at one point Ana is happy out driving the Porsche but a swift cut to has her berated by a traffic policeman for speeding.

But Baden Baden needs a kick up the bum. Occasionally there's a moment where it looks like things are going to kick on but Lang, true to form, retreats back into aimlessness.