Toxic Affair

I think I have a cancer!

After "Camille Claudel" Isabelle Adjani has stopped her acting career for five years. She has returned from her «vacation» by acting in "Toxic Affair" – another forgotten Adjani’s film (along with Tout feu, tout flame, Antonieta, L'année prochaine... si tout va bien and some other).

Since abandoning her modeling career, Penelope constantly throws herself out of the frying-pan into the fire. She has writing ambitions, but doesn’t have any ideas about what to write, cries at the psychiatrist office, argues with her mother. One night, she drives her boyfriend Georges so mad that he breaks-up with her. After that, Penelope completely loses her sanity and storms her girlfriend’s Sophie apartment. For the next 48 hours, Penelope tries to cope with her loss by different methods: the failed suicide attempt, the visit to the African-French extrasensory and so on and so on.

Penelope is the quintessential drama queen. Everyone, at least once, have met a female who constantly writes or talks about her writing ambitions which are stopped by a lack of time; about their contradictions and wish to hide in the monastery; who tries to hide their infantilism by constant talking about their tough childhood. I think cynics would seriously consider mercy killing as viable option for Penelope.

Toxic Affair would be stupid and boring if it wasn’t for one person - Isabelle Adjani. The Actress completely steals the show by her magnificent acting. She proves that for the real actress a five year break means nothing. Isabelle Adjani truly captures all hysterics, mood swings, incoherence and egoism of Penelope. The Adjani’s facial expression is superb, as in «The Story of Adelie H.», you could even call this film «The Story of Adelie H. Ultra Light».

The supporting cast was also good. Michel Blanc portrayed a suicide-fixed loser; Fabrice Luchini hilariously trolls Penelope and Clémentine Célarié portrays Penelope’s girlfriend, who sometimes wants to dump her in the Seine.

Toxic Affair is the perfect example how one great actress could turn stupid film into something watchable and interesting. If you an Adjani’s fan, watch it.

7/10 (+1 for Adjani by applying the legal principle «Any reasonable doubt shall be interpreted in favor of the defendant»)