Starring St茅phanie Lapointe, Charles-Alexandre Dub茅
Directed by Manon Briand
By the time one of its characters bemoans the fact that his dreams and reality are never quite in sync, its become apparent that writer-director Manon Briands comedic thriller is suffering a similar fate. Attempting to meld breezy romance with noirish mystery, Liverpool certainly isnt without its charms. However, its also never quite as clever as Briand intended or as stylish as she envisioned.
Theres also a gap between the characters in Briands script and the actors before her camera. Both St茅phanie Lapointe and Charles-Alexandre Dub茅 are a touch too photogenic to convincingly pass as never-been-kissed wallflowers. However, they do give engaging performances as 脡milie, a meek coat check girl, and Thomas, her introverted crush. When the former discovers a hotel key in an overdose victims abandoned coat, a barrage of rapid-fire contrivances flings the pair into an environmental conspiracy involving gangsters and corrupt industrialists.
Too shy to even lock eyes, 脡milie and Thomas ace the entrance exam to qualify as unlikely detectives. However, Briands staid shooting style fails to lend their investigation any tension. Were even less inclined to take any of this particularly seriously once 脡milie and Thomas become prone to quirky indulgences such as impulsively dancing the Madison in roadside diners.
In her somewhat misguided climax, Briand suggests that no one needs to be a lone crusader in the age of social media. While its admittedly novel to see how one iPhone and a couple of tweets can suddenly even-up formerly insurmountable odds, it ultimately leaves a viewer wondering, Wheres the fun in your underdog heroes having a veritable army at their beck and call?
