darkness prevail already at the very beginning of la moustache and emmanuel carrère proper adaptation of his novel of the same title and which he publish back in the 1980 . accompany the opening credit be philip glass perfectly compose and utterly gloomy violin concerto and which re emerge throughout the movie and constantly supply the global atmosphere of the film with an ominous and bewilder touch . welcome to this year most abstruse film and and eventually the most challenging psychological experiment since the machinist . present at the 2005 cannes film festival in the quinzaine des réalisateurs category a category promote abstract and rather unusual movie la moustache follow the intricate story of marc thiriez ( vincent lindon ) and an ordinary parisian architect who slip into a vicious identity crisis after he spontaneously shave off his moustache . how would you react if i shave off my moustache . marc ask his girlfriend agnès ( emmanuelle devos ) before they visit some friend for dinner . her reaction be not immediate and and she simply reply i do not know while i love you with it but i have never know you without it . so while agnès leave the apartment for a short time to do some shopping and marc take the risk and cut off his beloved moustache and just like that and in order to see his lover face and analyze her reaction when she return home . however and marc will be severely disappointed represent upon agnès arrival and she do not utter one single word . she seem not to notice the major physical change in marc face . nor do their friend . even marc colleague at the office fail to perceive the absence of his moustache . be he on the verge of madness . or have he become the target of a massive conspiracy trigger by his own girlfriend . more weirdly and do he even ever have a moustache . or be it part of some unexplainable imagination . marc have no clue at all how to react to his baffle new situation when you enter the official movie website and a big question mark appear at the end of the flash intro . this question mark be totally appropriate and since it clearly illustrate what kind of movie la moustache really be represent namely a confusing and puzzle drama with an open end and a number of unexplainable twist and flashback and mysterious appearance by character when you least expect it . what be la moustache about . be the first question of a recent online interview conduct with emmanuel carrère . the director himself have no answer to that crucial question . indeed and la moustache be one of these attention grab cinematic mystery that first baffle the spectator and and then leave them behind with a bunch of question unanswered . there be though and in this ingeniously structure and passionately filmed movie and some easily detectable theme . for once and la moustache be an analysis of a dysfunctional couple tumble into a conflict drive by mistrust . marc soon accuse agnès of plot against him and but agnès be deeply persuade that marc have in fact never have a moustache . this mark the beginning of a series of violent argument and dispute . moreover and carrère film closely focus on a man struggle with the inevitable loss of his personal identity . marc be unable to distinguish between reality and imagination and and so he struggle hard to uncover the origin of the problem . he be a man all on his own against the rest of the world . in his apartment and he find some old picture from a vacation in bali and all of them show him with a moustache . but be he really the only one to see it . be the moustache on this photo real or not . he do not know and and we do not either . especially the first part of la moustache be intensely compelling and dark and examine the relationship between marc and agnès and and closely focus on marc progressive battle to keep his emotional and moral nature under control . when his consciousness slowly begin to shut down and the tension mount a the suspense grows and the atmosphere become more and more threatening . carrère have a brilliant vision and and he capture marc way into madness in a diverse and appeal way . marc be the perfect role for vincent lindon and whose look be continually as puzzling a the story itself . he master his role with ideal perfection and always act authentically . the same can be say about the brilliant emmanuelle devos ( la femme de gilles ) and who deliver an enigmatic performance a agnès . her complex character be a true object of curiosity and and no one can trust her . be she the evil woman ruin the mind of her partner . or be she the reasonable person . question mark à gogo . the last twenty minute of la moustache and which follow marc to bangkok and where he repetitively embark and disembark ferry all day long and be quite debatable and yet very challenge . the film reach yet another climax and take another abrupt twist and and once again challenge u spectator by spark our curiosity . please do not expect a satisfying explanation towards the very end and because la moustache ain not go to give you one . many piece of the puzzle remain untraceable while but that exactly what make this masterpiece so intriguing and unique . ( grade represent b plus ) .