Les Deux Amis (Two Friends),France, 2015 image2.jpeg Director: Louis Garrel Stars: Golshifteh Farahani, Vincent Macaigne, Louis Garrel Viewed in Hungary at Cinefest film festival, Miskolc, 2015. Two best friends have their relationship tested when Abel tries to help his friend Clement with the latter's love interest Mona.

The French entry "Deux Amis" (Two Buddies) Written and Directed by Louis Garrel, starring himself, Victor Macaigne, and Golshifte Farahani. This flimsy French flick is of interest mainly because it is the first star vehicle for stunning exiled Iranian actress Golshifte Farahani outside of her native Iran. She appeared in a much smaller role last year in Ridley Scott's "Exodus Gods and Kings" as the abandoned fiancé of Moses.

Golshifte was a top star in Iran before being declared persona non grata in the Islamic Republic for refusing to wear a head scarf in Cannes, then, even worse -- appearing partially nude in a French magazine. Directed by and co-starring Louis Garrel, himself a popular screen heart throb among the younger crowd in France and the 'significan other' of Golshifte in Paris at the time of filming.

Plotwise this is kind of a poor man's version of Jules and Jim with Vincent and Abel both in love with Monica, but more in love with each other as it will eventually turn out. Unlike Truffaut's J&J this never turns into a full on ménàge à trois as Mona's (Golshifte) interest shifts from bungling loser Vincent to his cool love adviser Abel (Director Garrel). The rankling between the two boys is little more than an excuse to present the ravishing Golshifte in just about every scene from every possible angle. In one scene she even gets to show off her dancing chops.

The highly contrived three way plot is not very convincing but worth sitting through just to see Persian beauty Golshifte finally getting the full attention she deserves as the leading lady and star of a non-Iranian western film. Anybody aware of the serious off-screen romance between Garrel and Goldhifte will realize that this was Garrel's main purpose in slapping this lightweight actress vehicle together. Apparently this gesture did not help cement their relationship as they are no longer a couple off-screen. (as of 2015)

The question remains whether any director French, English, or other, is finally going to see the potential box office drawing power of this talented, beautiful charismatic actress and give her a major role in a real movie. Having seen some of her star appeal in her Iranian films before she was banned from return to the homeland it is clear to me that somebody out there is missing the boat. Ridley Scott found her but only deigned to give her a couple of small middle eastern type eye candy roles -- in 'Body of Lies' 2008, and Exodus, Gods and Kings, 2014, and the current piece of Gallic fast food is not likely to promote her international image. If I were a director or producer I would immediately cast her as the lead in a big budget film opposite romantic stars like Jake Gyllenhall, Ben Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix, Colin Firth, or even George Clooney.

Golshifte Farahani (now 33) proved that she is is a free woman by posing nude for the french publication Egoiste. This earned her permanent expulsion from Theocratically strictured Iran., Our gain -- their loss.

What a sophisticated and innovative tragicomedy. Underrating is nonsense. Through the dark funny absurd situations there is a very careful script that develops gradually each character, and provides the clues to the spectator as both the woman's drama and the buddies' comedy of manners advance. Off course charming, beautiful and strong Mona Dessaint is the character who shines, and the film starts showing her life. However, as everyone may notice, the movie's title is "two friends", and there is a reason for that. Everything is about them, their dusfunctional friendship, what they show to each other, what they hide, what they even do not know, althouth everybody around seem to have noticed. Although everything in the movie happens with Mona as the object of their arguments, she is not the reason, she is just the spark. They say that "it may not happen again", and that means that before her there was another Mona. When the film ends, it was clear that it would not take too much time for a new Mona appears.

Louis Garrel joins his father at the other side of the camera for his first long movie in which he offers a fresh vision of friendship through a crazy comedy. The duo Vincent Macaigne/Louis Garrel works perfectly and it makes the public laugh. Regarding Golshifteh Farahani, she surprises with her performance of woman that resists to the two men, but that still manage to break their friendship. They love each other, they fight each other (with a cast and a script that flirts with theatre),we are surprised but we never get bored. Louis Garrel evokes a serious subject with a certain cynicism: the fear to be left alone in the middle of a trio in which friendship is sometimes swallowed by love. Because three can be friends, but love is reserved for only two. Even if the films is not revolutionary, it is quite entertaining and it has some key scenes that make the public laugh and give them some food for thought. Full review on our blog Los Indiscretos : https://losindiscretos.org