A Woman at Whims of Fate in ‘Maelstrom’

Denis Villeneuve’s “Maelstrom” is the right title for a portrait of a young Montreal woman, coming apart in the aftermath of an abortion, whose story is, incredibly enough, being narrated by a fish as he is being hacked to death in a fish market.

In this stylish, breathless film, very much the dynamic work of a young man of talent, passion and brashness, Villeneuve misses no opportunity to give cosmic dimensions to his heroine’s predicament. As she finds herself overcome by guilt for aborting her pregnancy, Marie-Josee Croze’s Bibi plunges into a downward spiral in which fate, coincidence and romance loom large. Villeneuve dares much and pulls it all off.

No sooner does Bibi leave the abortion clinic than she is confronted by her irate brother, her partner in a successful chain of clothing boutiques, for having let their business slide into financial disaster. In the meantime, she is counseled by her well-meaning friend (Stephanie Morgenstern), a veteran of three abortions and an academic whose good advice is undermined by her intellectualizing. She’s so self-satisfied by her opinions and how grandly she delivers them she fails to grasp that Bibi is sliding into despair.

Then fate walks in, making everything infinitely worse for Bibi, only to be followed by a coincidence that carries with it the possibility of a redemptive romance and a terrible irony. So dire are the straits for Bibi that Villeneuve offers two possible endings, underlining the role of chance in our destinies and the need for us to take responsibilities for our actions.

This is a nervy, risky film, and Villeneuve has inspired Croze to give herself over completely to the tormented persona of Bibi. He has done the same with Jean-Nicolas Verreault as the charming young man whose sudden presence in Bibi’s life promises a redeeming romance that carries with it a specific potential for bringing her more grief than she can bear.

“Maelstrom” has been shot in high-contrast muted color by Andre Turpin with a self-confidence that matches that of Villeneuve, and the film has been enveloped in Pierre Desrochers’ suitably sweeping, turbulent score. Best of all, amid much sturm und drang, Villeneuve displays a dark, jaunty saving sense of humor. “Maelstrom” is a splendid instance of a surrealist vision that serves to heighten the impact of genuine emotions experienced by believably real people.

Unrated. Times guidelines: some nudity, sex, complex adult themes.

‘Maelstrom’

Marie-Josee Croze...Bibi

Jean-Nicolas Verreault...Evian

Stephanie Morgenstern...Claire

Pierre Lebeau...Voice of the fish

An Arrow release. Writer-director Denis Villeneuve. Producers Roger Frappier, Luc Vandal. Cinematographer Andre Turpin. Editor Richard Comeau. Music Pierre Desrochers. Costumes Denis Sperdouklis. Art director Sylvain Gingras. In French, with English subtitles.

Exclusively at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 478-6379.