For a film that’s all about crime, there’s a documentary like realism and daily sense of mundaneness to the narrative initially than overt flourishes, gradually giving way to bursts of chuckle-inducing (not laugh out loud, mind you) deadpan, and often absurd, humour. The detectives aren’t just off kilter for being of a certain seniority and girth but also staid and dour than charismatic and larger than life, unlike most members of their tribe seen in popular culture. However, chasing criminals and solving cases comes with unexpected perks for them, like discovering sweet romance and reconnecting with an old love. In a nutshell, getting a second shot at life. But will it come in the way of their friendship and professional collaboration and commitments?
Soetens and Burger are very well-tuned and make a perfect twosome on screen. The fact that they are both non-professional actors, Burger being a musician, lends a raw, rough and spontaneous edge to their performances.
The film goes beyond the titular characters to look at a whole bunch of interesting residents (the dogs included) of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines and their off the cuff, life-like, evidently improvised conversations. Some of them are witnesses, other suspects and yet others criminals. Most of them are played by the actual residents rather than trained actors to add to the authenticity of the scenario. Beyond being a setting, the small town is a significant character in itself, as important as Conrad and Crab.
Comments are closed.