LEMMING

France, 2005, 129 minutes, Colour.
Laurent Lucas, Charlotte Gainsborg, Charlotte Rampling, Andre Dussollier.
Directed by Dominik Molle.

Beware lemmings, those furry rodents from Scandinavia who, myth says, rush to cliffs and leap over to their deaths. This film says otherwise: at a time of overpopulation they migrate; but when they are swimming across large lakes, they die from exhaustion. Now, what that has to do with this film is another matter. They may be symbols for us to ponder. They may just be red herrings, Hitchcock’s Mc Guffin.

It’s not easy to describe Lemming let alone categorise it. It seems to belong to a new set of films (see, for instance, John Maybury’s The Jacket) which are psychodramas of the sub-conscious, life as it might be lived for good or evil, not necessarily life as it is being lived. And, at the end, to highlight his point, the director has the song ‘Dream a little dream of me…’.

The director is Dominik Moll who made the strikingly offbeat thriller, Harry, He’s Here to Help. It is co-written with Harry collaborator, Giles Marchand, who directed Who Killed Bambi. The acting credits are very impressive as well, actors well cast and carrying us on with this strange story. Laurent Lucas is a hotshot automation inventor, happily married to Benedicte (Charlotte Gainsbourg). They live comfortably but when the boss (Andre Dussolier) and his wife (Charlotte Rampling) come to dinner, things begin to go haywire. At this point, it is wise to leave plot development because that is the point of seeing the film: looking at what Moll presents and trying to discern what is real and what is not.

Lemming is the kind of film that grows on you with reflection.

1. The title, the literal explanation of lemmings, the real explanations beyond the myth? Not suicide but exhaustion? The symbol of the lemmings in the film – or a red herring? Yet an omen of things to come?

2. The French settings, Bel Air, the modern uncomfortable suburb? The offices, the laboratories for technological development? The contrast with the tranquillity of the mountains and the lakes?

3. The realistic style of the opening? The contrast with the sequences which indicated dreams? Psychological states? The different camera styles and editing for each section? The different musical scores, especially the piano, the silences, the chords, the insistent pounding? The orchestral music? The use of 'The Blue Danube’? ‘Dream a Little Dream’?

4. The editing, the pace? The naturalism? The comic touches, the serious? Transitions?

5. The prologue, the demonstration, the surveillance device, flying through the air, the mundane example in the model house, the plumbing? Technology and the future? The later bad demonstration and the breaking of the machine? Alain later using it to spy on Richard and Benedicte? The executives, international success?

6. The company, Richard’s management? Alain and his assistant? Technology, laboratories? The international flavour, Richard going to Korea, Francine working in the office? The meetings at Biarritz?

7. Alain and Benedicte, at home, their love for each other, demonstrative, three years married? The pleasant and easy way of life? Benedicte cooking, the sink and its blockage, Alain finding the lemming? The boy who was slapped across the street? The waiting for the guests, the detail of life and the cumulative effect of Benedicte and Alain and their relationship?

8. The guests being late, Richard’s apology, Alice reluctant to get out of the car, going to the meal, the wine, Alice seeing the kiss in the kitchen, going to the toilet, her return, rudeness, her dark glasses, questions, accusations against her husband, throwing the wine in his face as a relief, doing it with style? Their going? Alain and Benedicte coping? Their later reflections on it?

9. Benedicte and her taking the lemming to the vet, the explanation of lemmings, its being alive? Nicholas Chevalier and his opinions, the legends, lemmings not committing suicide, dying of exhaustion after overpopulation? His later returning the lemming to Alain? Alain and the dream of all the lemmings in the kitchen, following him, his fall down the stairs, their biting him? The lemming leaping at him and biting his hand? Its dying? And the final realistic explanation of the neighbours bringing the lemming from Finland?

10. Richard and his apologies, discussion about meetings, Alice wandering the laboratories late, asking about her husband’s interrogation, her praise of Alain’s loyalty, the attempted seduction, her wanting to see her husband die after explaining that he had tried to kill her, the failure of her attempted seduction? The later interrogation by Richard of Alain and his saying that if Richard and Benedicte did not know, it might have been all right?

11. The cleaning of the drain, the camera going down the drain and computer-controlled? Practical surveillance? Alice’s arrival, talking with Benedicte, wanting to sleep? Her talking about the seduction, then saying she lied about Alain’s behaviour? The effect on Benedicte? Alice going to the room, to sleep, her smashing the room, shooting herself, the ambulance taking her to hospital?

12. The couple coping with the suicide, the police coming? The phone call to Korea, Richard’s return and thanking Alain? His going to Biarritz with Alain, his being with the women in the room, the phone call, Alain’s upset, driving back to Paris, his dream about the lemmings, waking up in hospital, the car crash? Benedicte and the cremation, Richard’s visit? Richard thankful to Benedicte?

13. Alain and the puzzle about what happened to him, going to the lake, driving through the mountains to the Blue Danube? The water, Benedicte swimming, their sitting, Benedicte asking Alain about the seduction, his difficulty in remembering? Her becoming Alice, wanting him to call her Alice, the lovemaking, her repeating the exact words that were said? Her abandoning him, his getting the lift back, arriving home, Benedicte absent?

14. Her absence with Richard? His anger, confronting Richard in the office? Richard and his explanation of himself, his attraction towards Benedicte, saying that that was life? Alain arriving home, Benedicte leaving in the taxi?

15. The set-up of the surveillance, his going to the house, the machine going in, his controlling it, seeing Richard and Benedicte?

16. His going into the house, his smothering Richard, carrying his body downstairs, setting it up in the kitchen, taking Benedicte out, the gas (and Richard previously saying he liked to cook with gas)? The explosion?

17. With Benedicte, Alaine and his talking with her?

18. Benedicte awake, saying she had a strange dream, that she was Alice? The puzzle, the future? Alain and what really happened – a man of control, losing control? Richard committing suicide or not? Alain telling the truth – whether he did kill Richard or not?

19. ‘Dream a Little Dream’ – and the realism of the aftermath, the conversations with the neighbours, and the boy bringing back the lemming?

20. What actually happened? Subconscious possibilities of love, hate, seduction and betrayal, violence and murder?