La Moustache (2005)

85% of critics liked it
(41 reviews)
63% of users liked it
(3,915 ratings)

"What would you think if I shaved my moustache?" asks Marc (Vincent Lindon) of his wife, Agnès (Emmanuelle Devos), one fateful night as they prepare to visit friends for dinner. She's never seen him without it, but while she goes to do some last-minute shopping, he impulsively shaves the moustache… More "What would you think if I shaved my moustache?" asks Marc (Vincent Lindon) of his wife, Agnès (Emmanuelle Devos), one fateful night as they prepare to visit friends for dinner. She's never seen him without it, but while she goes to do some last-minute shopping, he impulsively shaves the moustache off. Thus begins a tragic odyssey that leads Marc to question every relationship in his life, and even his own identity. Marc's journey into darkness begins when Agnès returns home. At first, he playfully tries to conceal what he's done. When he finally reveals his bare face to her, with a flourish, her reaction is...nonexistent. She baffles him by appearing not to notice the change. Confused, he says nothing, and they proceed with their plans for the evening. When the couple's friends Serge (Mathieu Amalric) and Nadia (Macha Polikarpova) also fail to make note of the change in Marc's appearance, he begins to get angry, believing that Agnès is playing an elaborate prank on him. In the car on the way home, he loses his temper, and it's her turn to be baffled. What moustache? How can she have noticed that he shaved his moustache when he's never had one? While Agnès begins to question her husband's sanity, Marc frantically searches for evidence of his former facial hair. Things only get worse for Marc, as no one at his job remembers him having a moustache either, and before long, he discovers that there are other details of his life that only he remembers. The Moustache marks the directorial debut of Emmanuel Carrère, who adapted his own novel with Jérôme Beaujour (She's One of Us). The film was shown as part of The Film Society of Lincoln Center's 2006 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Emmanuel Carrère
Written By: Jérôme Beaujour, Emmanuel Carrère
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Oct 7, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Jan 16, 2007
Studio: Cinema Guild

Critic Reviews

John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
What the movie lacks visually, it makes up for with the performances, especially by Lindon, who leads us on a journey we want to stick with even if we can't fully understand.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
In one sense it's what might be called 'typically French,' an exquisitely observed fable of bourgeois life that is mordant, witty and yet low-key. In another sense, it's what might be called 'nuts.'
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
A shuddery, enigmatic study in psychological suspense.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
An absorbing riddle posed in cool, matter-of-fact tones.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
I found it mesmerizing from beginning to end.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
An intriguing study of identity, marriage and, perhaps, madness.
Eric Monder, Film Journal International
Those looking for a good thriller should be pleased enough and those seeking a serious art film will get plenty of philosophy with their pretty pictures.
Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
Bristling with existential doubt and ennui . . . Carrère's half-nightmare, half-dream vision of one man's imprisonment in his own life remains satisfyingly unresolved and stubbornly unique.
Louis Proyect, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Kafkaesque story of man who shaves trademark moustache. Afterwards everybody--wife included--insists that he has never had one!
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
A dizzying experiment, evocative and frustrating at the same time.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
As with the recent French films Lemming and The Bridesmaid, La Moustache generates a high level of tension with the most mundane things.
Michele Kenner, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A mind-bending treat adapted by director Emmanuel Carrère from his novel.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
It's a brief, simple film that never overreaches but, if you're into it, it raises fascinating questions about identity.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
As intelligently as Carrère handles this material, giving it just the right hint of distance and ambiguity, La Moustache tends to drift toward the mechanisms of the thriller.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
The Hitchcock-style story...is intriguing from start to finish, despite the lack of answers to the many questions it raises. And, that ain't shabby.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
...a movie about identity and marriage that raises many questions and supplies many answers without actually giving any.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Mark A

This proved to be a strange film that did not tip its hand for this viewer until the end. Marc (Vincent Lindon) shaves his mustache and sets off a sequence of events that leaves him, and this viewer, wondering whether he is going insane, the butt of an elaborate joke, or something… More
This proved to be a strange film that did not tip its hand for this viewer until the end. Marc (Vincent Lindon) shaves his mustache and sets off a sequence of events that leaves him, and this viewer, wondering whether he is going insane, the butt of an elaborate joke, or something more sinister. His wife, Agnes (Emmanuelle Devos), grows increasingly concerned, as it is her contention is that he has never had a mustache, while he believes that he has had it for ages. The back and forth dialog, and the increasing frustration that Marc experiences is what drives this film. It is dark comedy and French to the core. The two leads are excellent at portraying the conflicting emotions, and the supporting cast is strong. The scenery in and around Paris sets the mood and the director keeps a steady hand on the way the story is presented. Having had a mustache for many years only increased the pleasure that this film brought to this viewer as he could totally relate to the sense of bewilderment that Marc experienced.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "La Moustache", Marc(Vincent Lindon) and Agnes(Emmanuelle Devos) are a successful couple living in Paris. One day Agnes comments that she would not recognize Marc without his mustache. On a whim, he does shave it off. Later, she does not notice… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "La Moustache", Marc(Vincent Lindon) and Agnes(Emmanuelle Devos) are a successful couple living in Paris. One day Agnes comments that she would not recognize Marc without his mustache. On a whim, he does shave it off. Later, she does not notice anything has changed. In fact, when pressed for a response, she claims he never had a mustache. Nobody else can remember Marc having had one either...[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"La Moustache" is an engrossing psychological drama with an unexpected resolution. The movie is anchored by a great performance from Vincent Lindon as someone who is wondering if he is losing his mind. [/font]
Greg A

What a horrible thing to go through, I questioned if the character Marc was going through the beginning stages of alzheimer's disease because of his lack of memory that never synced up with his wife's. "You didn't even notice I shaved my moustache" "you… More
What a horrible thing to go through, I questioned if the character Marc was going through the beginning stages of alzheimer's disease because of his lack of memory that never synced up with his wife's. "You didn't even notice I shaved my moustache" "you have not had a moustache in the 15 years I have known you."
meril l

Doesn't have to make sense to be absurdly French.
William G

Intriguing premise, strong perf. hold for most of running time.
alan j

the story for this movie was written by the director; I suspect it was a very short story that he attempted to stretch into a feature film. The acting by both leads are strong; the glaring weakness about stories such as these is the fact its nonsensical and without any reason. Plot… More
the story for this movie was written by the director; I suspect it was a very short story that he attempted to stretch into a feature film. The acting by both leads are strong; the glaring weakness about stories such as these is the fact its nonsensical and without any reason. Plot holes aside, the burning questions that bubble up from this type of story go unanswered...but hey thats a french movie lol. This film plays out like a enlongated 'Twilight Zone' episode, where the ending is abruptly cut off a minute or two before its conclusion. Sorry folks, no answers to this one heh. Even Emmanuelle Devos said as much in the short feature included on the dvd; she had no idea what the deal was with the mustache angle, and the director never gave an answer to it. Its an interesting watch..
Patrick D

On first impression you think this film is going to be a delightful comedy. Think again. Some parts are funny but it really goes from bad to worse when this guy shaves off his "moustache" and no one notices.