The Hairdresser's Husband

Aged 12, Antoine has two passions: dancing to Arabic music, and having his hair cut by an ample Alsacienne who unwittingly introduces him to the world of sex. In middle age, Antoine (Rochefort) has lost none of his ardour: when he glimpses shy coiffeuse Mathilde (Galiena), he is so struck that he immediately proposes marriage. Amazingly she accepts, and he moves into her salon, where their blissful romance remains barely touched by the outside world... While Leconte's study in erotic obsession is, like Monsieur Hire, hardly sophisticated in its sexual politics, that's not to deny its eccentric charm. Lighter in tone than its predecessor, it benefits from a genuinely scatty performance by Rochefort, and from a fine line in off-the-wall humour. Less successful is the shift to a darker mood: this bitter-sweet comedy barely justifies its downbeat outcome. That said, Eduardo Serra's elegant photography and Michael Nyman's score perfectly complement the blend of wit and melancholia.