Slices of Vi

Victor, an aimless womaniser seen as a burden by friends and family begins to experience disturbing hallucinations in the wake of a new romantic relationship with a man, Lionel. These apparitions become more visceral as the two become more emotionally attached until it all reaches a breaking point.

"Victor" (Fabian Ara) lives a fairly empty and restless life that largely centres around himself and causes consternation to his two friends "Mathieu" (Olivier Bureau) and "Ludmilla" (Capucine Lamarque). Things might be taking a turn for the better though when he ends up in a bar one evening and meets "Lionel" (Tanguy Mendrisse). I think it's fair to say that "Victor" didn't have his gaydar switched on that first evening, but as the men share a pizza and subsequently get to know each other - well you can guess the next bit. The thing is, though, that simultaneously - "Victor" is having trouble with his wardrobe. Narnia? No, not quite - but quite possibly Hell. Worms and smells begin to emanate from it, and then - well something straight out of an Hammer film. Nobody believes him. He is just attention seeking. He is losing his mind. Is he though? Might there actually be something evil lurking in his armoire? There is something about Ara - he does engage with the camera and the audience. The problem here is that the rest of the cast and the plot are so daft, and the film seems so interminably long, that by about an hour in I had completely lost interest in the whole thing. Quite what director Julien Botzanowski was trying to deliver for us here is anyone's guess. It's not a romance, or a horror, or a comedy - it's a mess! The story is all over the place, repetitive and the central character proves, quickly, to be an annoying and selfish man in whom I couldn't invest my time, let alone any emotion. Maybe a structured re-edit with a focus on the characterisations and a tighter edit of the rambling dialogue might be worthwhile? As it is, this is a lot of time for not a lot of reward.