Considering that Quentin Dupieux’s last film was about a man trying to rid the world of all jackets because he believed his to be the supreme, it’s no surprise that his latest – Mandibles – follows two dim-witted friends training a giant fly to pull off heists for them. And, expectedly, it’s a comedic masterpiece.
The film’s official premise is the perfect summation of Dupieux’s latest idiosyncratic cocktail: “when simple-minded friends Jean-Gab (David Marsais) and Manu (Grégoire Ludig) find a giant fly trapped in the boot of a car, they decide to train it in the hope of making a ton of cash.” It’s a strange concept but it feels tame for Dupieux. This is the filmmaker that brought us the likes of Rubber and Deerskin, after all, so it doesn’t feel out-of-place in one of the more bizarre filmographies out there. At this point, you know whether or not his esoteric and brazen stories are to your liking or not; if so, Mandibles is yet another gem from the director.
At a lean 77-minutes, Mandibles feels like another movie challenging the arthouse form. Its minimalistic plot almost goes nowhere yet you feel like you’ve gone on a whole journey with these characters by the end. Affable oafs Jean-Gab and Manu keep finding themselves in strange, precarious situations that get more inane and bizarre as the film goes on; it’s like Dupieux is in some wild competition with himself to outdo the last setup in its lunacy… And he succeeds too. The comedic timing is impeccable, mining great gags and visual humour from the pair trying to keep their giant housefly – which they name Dominique – a secret while training her to obey their commands to eventually fulfil their desire of robbing a bank.
However, what’s perhaps most surprising about the writing is how it finds a great deal of characterisation within these continually random set-pieces. The friendship between Jean-Gab and Manu is superbly realised; there’s veritable chemistry between Marsais and Ludig that anchors what becomes a sincere dynamic. The characterisation never scratches too far beneath the surface but it accomplishes a lot within the taut runtime and confined narrative space nonetheless. Thematically, Mandibles isn’t as nuanced as other Dupieux endeavours either; if you try to dig too deep into the film about two doofuses and their giant bug, it’s sorely disappointing. It may be light and inconsequential compared to its predecessors – it perhaps lacks the longevity of Rubber – but Dupieux is such a master that Mandibles will still be the most original film you’ll see this year – a surreal, wildly funny, deeply bizarre ride that’s all the more charming for its simplicity.
Mandibles
Summary
A surreal, wildly funny, deeply bizarre comedic masterpiece.
