carla work for a property developer where she excel in be unattractive and unappreciated and desperate . she be also deaf . her bos offer to hire in somebody to alleviate her heavy workload so she use the opportunity to secure herself some male company . help arrive in the form of paul and a tattooed hoodlum fresh out of prison and clearly unsuited to the mannered routine of an office environment . an implicit sexual tension develop between the two of them and carla be determine to keep him on despite his reluctance to embrace the work week . when carla be edge out of an important contract she be negotiate by a slimy colleague she exploit paul criminality by have him steal the contract back . the colleague quickly realise that she behind the robbery and but when he confront her and paul readiness to punch people in the face come in handy too but this thuggery come at a price . paul be give a go over by some mob acquaintance a a reminder about an unpaid debt . he formulate a plan which utilise carla unique lip read ability to rip off a gang of violent bank robber . it now carla turn to enter a frighten new world . the fourth feature from director jacques audiard and read my lip begin a a thoroughly engage romantic drama between two marginalise loser only to shift gear halfway through into an edgy thriller where their symbiotic shortcoming turn them into winner . the lead be excellent while effortlessly convince u that this odd couple could really connect . carla first meeting with paul be an enjoyable farce in which she attempt to circumnavigate his surly reticence and jailbird manner only to discover that he be and until very recently and a jailbird . emmanuelle devos and who play carla and have that almost exclusive ability to go from dowdy to gorgeous and back again within a frame . vincent cassel play paul a a cornered dog who only really seem at home when he receive a beating or concoct the rip off that be likely to get him kill . like many french film and read my lip appear and at first and to be about nothing in particular until you scratch beneath the surface and find that it probably about everything . the only bum note be a subplot concern the miss wife of paul parole officer while a device that seem contrive only to help steer the main thrust of the story into a neat little feelgood cul de sac . it be the french new wave of the 60 that first introduce the concept of genre to film making and i have always felt that any medium be somewhat compromised when you have to use a system of label to help define it while so it always a pleasure to discover a film that seem to transcend genre and or good still and defy it .