“Coup de Chance” (English translation: A Stroke of Luck) feels like a film that belongs to a bygone era. In a not-so-distant past, film characters used to be worried almost exclusively about their relationships and personal lives. They had jobs or careers, but making a living didn’t really concern them. Maybe it was because these characters were mostly white and privileged with a sense of security. But their worlds seemed like small bubbles. They rarely worried about world affairs, mainly because it didn’t bother them.
Such characters often agonized over their partner’s loyalty to them. So, infidelity seemed like an act of thrill or betrayal, depending on one’s perspective. These characters were reflections of controlling spouses or of those who wanted to escape the monotony of marriage. Even though we still feel these emotions, they have gotten layered with differing sets of opinions and perspectives. So, it feels slightly odd to see a few well-off people worried about their relationships more than anything else.
Nevertheless, the blend of rom-com and thriller in “Coup de Chance” feels oddly intriguing. The reason is the screenplay’s clean and simple structure. There is no extra fluff to overcomplicate its central plot. The plot points are easily distinguishable but rarely predictable. What we see is a sunny romantic comedy-drama blended with a captivating psychological thriller. We meet Fanny (played by Lou de Laâge), who lives with her husband, Jean (Melvil Poupaud), in Paris.
One day, she bumps into Alain (Niels Schneider), a writer who went to the same school that she did. Alain reminisces about having a romantic crush on Fanny, even though she hardly knew him. He gets charmed by her even in the present. So, after crossing paths, they start meeting each other now and then. Jean suspects that Fanny is having an affair. It is natural for him to be concerned about the secrets of others since he lives a fairly secretive professional life. Like the Great Gatsby, he doesn’t reveal the source of his enormous wealth and/or income. Still, due to the absence of conflicts in their marital life, Fanny doesn’t seem to mind it.
Concerned by Fanny’s life away from his eyes, Jean starts investigating it. The film largely explores how the results of his investigation affect these characters and how they choose to look at these changes. Through that, the script explores the themes of loyalty, jealousy, betrayal, and luck. Even though these are usual elements of any relationship, they are placed so well in the script that it is hard not to get intrigued by them.
You believe in these characters and their stakes despite a couple of not-so-believable elements. Some dialogues seem odd, maybe because the film needs to share more information in lesser scenes. We see characters share their life philosophies through their conversation—for example, a group of people gossiping about how they love gossiping. It seems intentional for exposition and, thus, takes you out of the moment.
Luckily, it doesn’t affect the film’s overall effectiveness—for a couple of reasons. Stylistically, the film presents its individual dramatic tones remarkably well. The lights, color palette, and blocking are carefully distinct in scenes with different tonalities. In breezier rom-com bits, the film builds a sense of refreshing liveliness. On the other hand, its psychologically tense scenes are lit and designed neatly to evoke a sense of intrigue or mystery. These choices occasionally make it a visceral experience.
The finest part of “Coup de Chance” is that it isn’t driven by its plot points but by its themes and feelings. Be it chance, trust, or luck, its themes peek their head out at just the right time. Still, the film doesn’t turn into a heady or plainly contemplative piece and maintains its dramatic tone. We get interested in the lives of these characters because of a neatly interwoven play of motives and outcomes. Although we want to know their fate, it isn’t what the film is most interested in. So, the characters seem more fascinating despite being versions of similar narratives from the past.
Melvil Poupaud (Laurence Anyways, One Fine Morning) finds just the right balance of emotions to portray a jealous husband character that could have gone bad in the wrong hands. Niels Schneider plays a hopeless romantic like we have seen in many similar rom-coms. At times, Lou de Laâge’s character feels too gullible. Still, she makes Fanny’s love and bewilderment seem utterly believable.
