Hello and welcome back to another movie review.

This week’s film was The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to make of this movie.

However, I will say it was anything but boring.

This French surrealist black comedy tackles morbid themes such as death, drugs, political unrest, and alcoholism.

After watching it, 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 divide it into acts.

Every time the group took one of their nice strolls down the country road, I considered it a new act.

Act I – Dinner and a Funeral

Don Rafael, the Ambassador of Miranda, Simone and François Thévenot, and Florence, Simone’s sister, arrive unexpectedly at Alice and Henri’s home.

Sort of.

The thing is, Henri invited everyone over for dinner but forgot to tell Alice.

As a result, dinner isn’t ready, and they’re forced to go out to eat instead.

And unintentionally attend a funeral.

Rather than turning the group away, a waitress welcomes them in despite the fact that the restaurant’s owner, Monsieur Manuel, has just died.

We’re off to a great start.

Lol.

The following day, the group attempts dinner again.

But, much like the first attempt, nobody eats.

This time, Alice and Henri are a little too occupied with each other.

I genuinely wondered whether these two even liked their friends.

The gathering quickly falls apart when everyone flees in fear because Henri and Alice are acting strangely.

And wouldn’t you know it?

They’re criminals.

Drug traffickers terrified of a police raid.

Anypoops, enter Bishop Dufour of Alice and Henri’s diocese.

The man is pushy.

He seems to use the fact that he’s a bishop to get his way—or at least that’s the impression I got.

For reasons known only to him, he decides he wants to become their new gardener after the previous one falls ill.

Act II – Tea, Milk, Coffee, or Murder

Hubert de Rechac regales the ladies with a lovely tale of murder while they wait for their drinks.

Meanwhile, François doesn’t seem to be the brightest bulb in the box if he genuinely believes Simone’s excuse for being in Don Rafael’s room.

Or maybe he simply doesn’t care.

I got the distinct impression that his interests lie more with Florence if the way he constantly touches her is any indication.

Side Note

Florence desperately needs help.

The group treats her like Meg Griffin.

I have a sneaking suspicion something happened to her when she was younger because she appears to be self-medicating with alcohol.

Sis is either drunk or actively working on getting drunk for most of her screen time.

Dream: For Whom the Bell Tolls

Act III – Last Rites and Revenge

The gardener finally confesses to murdering his parents.

His chosen weapon?

Arsenic.

And honestly, at this point in the movie I had stopped trying to predict where anything was going.

Every dream seemed to contain another dream.

Every story seemed to contain another story.

And every dinner invitation ended in disaster.

Dream: June 14th or Bloody Sergeant’s Day

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is packed with the sort of behavior people often associate with the wealthy.

You know.

Looking down on ordinary people for not being refined alcoholics.

With a little extra nonsense sprinkled on top.

What nobody bothered to ask was:

If every time this group tries to gather and break bread, something terrible happens, why not simply stop meeting?

Then again, perhaps that kind of chaos is exactly what the bourgeoisie enjoy.

I want no part of it.

Well…

Except the money.

I want the money.

Anypoops, I give this weird, never-ending nightmare of a film 4 out of 5 rose petals.

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