Retro Film Review: Picture Claire (2001)

The author of this review has frequently encountered films where good ideas were squandered due to poor execution. One such example is Picture Claire, a 2001 Canadian thriller directed by Bruce McDonald.

The protagonist, Claire Beaucage (portrayed by Juliette Lewis), is a French Canadian woman whose Montreal apartment is set ablaze. She promptly opts to begin anew in Toronto and reunite with Billy Stuart (played by Kelly Harms), a photographer with whom she had a brief fling. However, her arrival in the unfamiliar city brings a string of unpleasant surprises - Billy not only has a haughty English girlfriend, Cynthia Lacey (portrayed by Camilla Rutherford), but he has covertly captured photographs of Claire, showcasing her as the centrepiece of his exhibition. Claire's struggles with her limited English lead to misunderstandings, culminating in her mistaken identity as Lily Warden (played by Gina Gershon), a professional criminal embroiled in a botched smuggling operation. Now, Claire is pursued by both the police and the psychopathic hitman Laramie (portrayed by Callum Keith Rennie).

McDonald and screenwriter Semi Chellas introduced some promising concepts in this film. The conventional thriller premise of mistaken identity was infused with the protagonist's communication challenges, offering a fresh perspective on standard thriller scenarios. McDonald's incorporation of flashbacks and surreal sequences effectively depicted the protagonist's mental state, adding an unconventional touch to the film.

However, not all creative choices proved successful. Casting Juliette Lewis as a French Canadian unable to communicate with her Anglophone compatriots, while unconventional, bordered on typecasting due to her past roles as mentally challenged or socially dysfunctional characters. Furthermore, the plot's reliance on convenient coincidences to resolve conflicts proved to be a significant misstep. These contrived plot devices left the audience bewildered, as such mechanisms are more suited to screwball comedies than gritty urban thrillers with explicit violence. The discord between the near-comedic plot and its brutal, realistic conclusion ultimately hampers "Picture Claire," relegating it to the realm of films that failed to fulfil their true potential.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

(Note: Original version of the review is available here.)

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