Trouble Every Day. 2001. France. Directed by Claire Denis. Screenplay by Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau. in French; English subtitles. 35mm print courtesy The Film Desk. 101 min.
Claire Denis’s singular foray into the horror genre is a very dark journey down a path of unsatiated desires. In Trouble Every Day, American couple Dr. Shane Brown and June go to Paris under the ruse of a honeymoon. In reality, Dr. Brown is on the hunt for a neuroscientist and his wife, Coré, a woman he was once obsessed with and who suffers from the same malady. Coré is imprisoned in her house to prevent eating sprees, but a chance encounter with the outside world violently penetrates her realm. This unfortunate turn of events triggers an event so cataclysmic that it just might lead to Shane’s chance for a normal life. In this cornerstone of the New French Extremity movement, Denis explores the intersection of love and violence, assault and satisfaction, in a way that will equally disturb and intrigue.