'Mariages!' resembles 'Festen', with its observance of the dramatic unities, absence of special effects and minimal musical score. It upsets family values just as much, with plenty of wry wit from that women's point of view that is so refreshing in today's cinema. Yes, the male characters are all weak and unadmirable, and the women are all finding strength and freedom, but we are getting so used to that these days that it is hardly noticeable any more. "Another coward, like all men", says the Mathilde Seignet character, and that's it for the men in this movie. The story arc is well maintained, and the climax, for once, actually works, stitching it up nicely in the rom-com genre. There are passages where the picture almost doesn't work. At the start, we are not sure whether it is a wedding or a wedding rehearsal. The transvestite character almost doesn't fit in. But in the end, after the whole of adult society has been torn to bits, everything fits together again with a bit of philosophy. A satisfying piece of French film-making that miraculously avoids explicit sex.
