Hello and welcome to another movie review, this week’s movie was The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Honestly, I didn’t know what to make of this film. However, I will say it was anything but boring. This French picture is a surrealist black comedy with morbid themes such as death, drugs, political unrest, and alcoholism. After watching the movie I don’t think being part of the Bourgeoisie is all it’s cracked up to be. Lol. With that said let’s get it!!

To make sense of the film I took it upon myself to cut the movie up into acts. Every time the group took a nice stroll on the country road a new act began.

Act I – Dinner and a Funeral
Don Rafael or the Ambassador of Miranda, Simone and Francios Thevenot, and Florence, Simone’s sister, show up at Alice’s home unexpectedly. Sort of. The thing is Henri Senechal, Alice’s husband, invited the gang over for dinner but forgot to inform her. As a result, it’s late and dinner is not ready. Insisting they keep their dinner plans, Francios suggests a restaurant he’d been to. But Instead of turning the group away, the female server welcomes them knowing the proprietor, Mr. Manuel is fresh dead. Unbeknownst to them they’ve just interrupted a private funeral -that is until they hear weeping somewhere in the corner. The women rush over to see the commotion, and rightly so they’re freaked. But strangely Don Rafael and Francios carry on ordering.
We’re off to a great start.

The following day the group attempts dinner again, but similarly, they fail to even make it to the table because Alice and Henri are in too much heat.

(at this point I wondered if these two really liked their friends)

The group runs away in fear due to Henri and Alice’s strange behavior because wouldn’t you know it, they’re criminals. Drug traffickers in fear of a police raid.
Anypoops, enter Bishop Dufour of Alice and Henri’s Diocese. Bishop Dufour desires to be their new gardener as the old one fell sick.
Sidenote: the man is pushy and he uses the fact that he’s a Bishop to get his way or at least that’s been my impression- also what’s the deal with kissing the ring?

Act II – Coffee, Tea, Milk or Murder
Hubert de Rechecahin, a cavalry lieutenant from across the restaurant parlor, regales the girls with his lovely tale of murder as they wait for their drinks. Long story short before leaving for military school little Hubert – who I suspect suffers from schizophrenia- sees the ghost of his mother and she tells him to kill his fake father. And somehow he gets away.
Meanwhile, cuckolded by Don Rafael, Francois doesn’t seem to be the brightest bulb if he believes the excuse Simone gave for being in the Ambassedor’s room. Or he doesn’t care. I have a feeling his interests lie more with Florence if the way he is so handsy with her is any indication.
Sidenote: Florence is in dire need of help, but they treat her like Meg Griffin. I have a sneaking suspicion something happened to her as a kid and she’s self-medicating with alcohol. Sis is drunk or in the process of getting wasted the majority of her screen time.

Act III – The Gardener Who Killed Me
Alice and Henri’s previous gardener has taken ill and needs absolution before meeting his maker. Who but Bishop Dufour, do they call on? Well, it’s a tiny world and it keeps getting smaller as the gardener confesses to Bishop that he, in fact, is his parent’s killer. The verdict: death by arsenic and the murderer was never caught. It would have truly been a benevolent act of mercy and love, but the Bishop fell prey to his more carnal instincts and took his revenge.
Would you have done the same?

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is full of rich people’s typical behavior. For instance, looking down on the poor for not being as refined alcoholics as they are; with a little bit of causally unaliving folks sprinkled on top. Why doesn’t anybody ask: if every time we try to gather and break bread something bad happens, why don’t we just stop meeting? But I guess that’s the kind of chaos the bourgeoisie enjoy and I want no parts of it – except the money. I want the money.
Anypoops, I give this weird never-ending nightmare film 4 out of 5 rose petals. Drop a comment or like.