Monsieur Hire

Possible Spoilers

Monsieur Hire is an unassuming fellow quite fond of his solitude.  Were it not for his work as a tailor, occasional visits to a brothel, or that pesky police inspector who is investigating the death of a woman near his apartment, Hire wouldn't trade words with anyone at all.  This would include the young lady who lives in the building directly across from his, who never draws the shades.  Night after night he watches her eat, sleep, do puzzles, and spend time with her boyfriend.  He's fascinated, and in love.  And happy to keep her at more than arm's length.

1989's MONSIEUR HIRE is adapted from a Georges Simenon novel.  I read one of his books in high school and damned if I can recall the title.  I do remember it being provocative and intriguing, and that is an apt description for writer/director Patrice Leconte's film.  Michel Blanc portrays the perfect coldness as the title character, a patently unlikable man so unaffected by life but as it turns out, capable of a very deep sort of love that may cost him dearly. 

Leconte maintains interest with characters and events that are never predictable.  You might think that Monsieur Hire's hobby of bowling tricks to amuse strangers is out of character for him, but I found it just the sort of incongruity a real person might possess.  Humans are usually far more complicated than their fictional counterparts.  The object of Hire's affection, Alice (Sandrine Bonnaire) is also hard to categorize.  She seems to possess an unfortunate streak of the vapid to go along with her beauty, but maybe proves otherwise when she finally meets her admirer.  Her final, devastating action may seem like something out of film noir, but you could argue that point.  She may likewise be motivated strictly by love.

Denis Lenoir's cinematography is often stunning.  His color palate is always striking.  Leconte's pace does make the film seem longer than its eighty minutes, but conversely the short running time contains sufficient character development and resolution of plotting.  MONSIEUR HIRE may not be one of the "Great Movies" as described by Roger Ebert, but is some kind of gem nonetheless.