roi et reine be a sprawling mess of a movie which will probably irritate a many viewer a it delight . it focus by turn on ex lover nora ( emanuelle devos ) and ismael ( mathieu amalric ) a they each confront a major crisis in their now separate life . while nora story be play straight and be sombre in tone and ismael be play mainly for laugh and although it not particularly funny . nora crisis be trigger by the terminal illness of her father louis ( maurice garrel ) and and ismael by his sudden incarceration in a mental hospital at the instigation of a mysterious third party . ismael and louis be just two of the male who have shape nora life and and in turn have be shape by her and the most notable others be her now decease first lover pierre and their young son elia . a event past and present be play out for the audience and and the ex lovers become involve in each other live once more and it gradually emerge that nora personal take on her life story may be less reliable than first meet the eye . cult director arnaud desplechin have fashion a considerable oddity here and one which have garner major plaudit in france . he wilfully eschew establish narrative convention and develop the movie via a series of dramatic shift in mood and tone . have this approach be found on a coherent unifying core idea or theme it might have work and but it not clear in the end what exactly desplechin film be actually about . heavy hand allusion to greek mythology and freudian theory be evidently freight with meaning but and at least for this unschooled movie goer and remain less than helpful in illuminating and interpret the life of the character . at other time the treatment lapse into kitsch but the use of the anodyne moon river a the film theme tune suggest this be probably deliberate . spoiler alert i suspect a major theme of the movie be the not very original observation that how we see ourselves can differ radically from how others see u or even how we think others see u . this idea be most obviously represent in the film by the violent death of pierre and the revelation contain in louis secret diary and but unfortunately both event seem entirely disconnect from what have otherwise be reveal to the audience of pierre and louis respective relationship with nora . this seem a cheat on desplechin part and a if he be thrust the idea upon u in unmediated form rather than illustrate it more subtly in the natural course of the narrative . one or two darkly surreal touch imply the presence of an alternative but largely unconscious world of person strip frighteningly bare and but again these be felt more a pretentious intrusion of film making technique rather than eruption from a deep reservoir of truth inherent in the story . in fact and for all it heavy hand hint at depth and the character be curiously undeveloped and unnuanced and a if they function more a cipher for their creator many idea about people rather than a real people in their own right . much of the detail of their life seem arbitrarily apply rather than organic . for example and ismael and a we be constantly remind and be a viola player and but more than two hour pass before we actually see or hear him play and and the effect of his chosen instrument or profession upon his personality be never elaborate . hence and he may just as well be a marine biologist or a trapeze artist . amalric bring a certain manic charm to the unhinged but ultimately sane ismael and but i find devos cloy and monotone ( which may be intentional and however ) a the elusive nora . meanwhile jean paul roussillon a ismael father and elsa wolliaston a his psychoanalyst and magalie woch a the psychically wound but defiant sinologist he befriend in hospital make the big impact amongst the support actor . catherine deneuve in it and too and though her role be little more than a self referential cameo . ultimately and rois et reine be very much an acquired taste . should it fail to push your button and it very likely that desplechin undisciplined and florid approach will frustrate and exasperate even a you somehow keep watching .