Co-writers/co-directors/co-stars Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon mix crime and laughs in The Falling Star. This French-Belgian comedy is like if Wes Anderson made a crime caper. Boris (Abel) is a bartender at the titular The Falling Star. He is a former activist bomber who gets attacked by the one-armed vigilante Georges (Bruno Romy). The two men have a complicated history as Georges is seeking vengeance due to losing his arm during one of Boris’s terrorist plots in the 1980s when the former was an ambulance driver. To that end, Georges, his girlfriend Kyoko (Kaori Ito), and close friend Tim (Philippe Martz) befriend melancholic recluse Dom (Abel). Then Kyoko drugs him and alters his appearance to resemble Boris.
Meanwhile, Fiona (Fiona Gordon), a private eye, is helping a woman find her missing dog. At the same time, she is trying to reconnect with Dom, to whom she was once married. Her interest in Dom leads Fiona to cross paths with Tim, which causes tension among the kidnappers and would-be killers. Georges continues making failed attempts to kill Boris. But he suffers several setbacks, from his mechanical arm falling apart to having a heart attack.
“Georges continues making failed attempts to kill Boris.”
The plot of The Falling Star is very loose but serves its purpose of moving us along to the zany comedy sequences. Abel and Gordon deliver an excellent comedy. This delightful treat recalls the slow-burn timing of Laurel and Hardy and the non-sequitur energy of the Marx Brothers. There is a great running gag tied to European culture about various industries frequently going on strike. It is a clever form of political satire without targeting a politician or coming down on one specific side of the issue.
The film has a great retro aesthetic due to the creativity of production designer Nico Girault. The mid-century interiors stand out with bold colors. The cast are all funny, with Martz and Ito seemingly having the most fun onscreen. Ito’s dance background plays into some absurd slapstick sequences, and Martz’s deadpan expressions reminded me of Oliver Hardy several times.
The narrative quirks of The Falling Star allow the comedy to shine. We are even treated to an awkward dance scene at the end. The filmmakers emulate the humor of great slapstick comedians uniquely. If idiosyncratic humor is up your alley, check this out.
"…emulate[s] the humor of great slapstick comedians uniquely."
