KOMPROMAT: A Rushin’ Thriller

“Russians say that the French are cowards. They’re right.”

Words of defiance spoken boldly by Mathieu, a Frenchman living in Russia who finds himself on the run from the FSB after being refused help. He believes himself to be a victim of Kompromat, which are false compromising documents used to harm an enemy of the Russian State.

Pointedly, this is also the title of Jérôme Salle’s latest film, both directed and co-written by him along with Caryl Ferey. But why would the director of a French cultural center be compromised by a government agency and accused of pedophilia? What can be done to prove his innocence? Can anything be done?

A Clash of Cultures Leads to a Life in Chaos

The film follows Mathieu (Gilles Lellouche) through a nonlinear first act as we bounce weeks and months into the past, piecing together what’s led to this moment. Each scene is tenser than the last, and even when seemingly calm, the film maintains an undertone of the stakes at hand. The catalyst for Mathieu’s demise is when he debuts a ballet for a Russian audience that tells the story of two men, enemies engaged in combat that become passionate lovers. This offends the audience’s sensibilities and disgusts Andrei, the wealthy man who helped fund the theater’s renovation and is connected to the FSB.

Weeks later, Mathieu’s home is raided. He’s blackbagged and taken by armed men in front of his daughter. Informed of his charges and thrown in prison, the other inmates quickly learn why he’s there, forcing him to be placed in solitary for his safety. Learning his own wife has made a deposition against him, Mathieu turns to the few people still in his corner: Borodin (Aleksey Gorbunov), his Russian attorney who insists on speaking imperfect French, Michèle (Judith Henry), the embassy attaché, and Svetlana (Joanna Kulig), a coworker from the embassy who finds herself in the middle of his plight. On his tail is FSB agent Dimitri Rostov (Michael Gor), who just might know more than Mathieu thinks.

An Engaging Experience

Without revealing too much of the plot, the rest of the film takes us along Mathieu’s journey to find the truth, clear his name, and return to his family. The energy from each scene propels us into the next, as unrelenting as the sound and editing in the action scenes and even in prison where a red siren buzzes with each door slam, haunting our hero. We twist and turn as the story unfolds, incrementally revealing more of each character’s motives and leaving us asking questions until the very end.

This tense and gloomy character-driven thriller, loosely based on real events, is an energetic ride that never lets up. The film is very well-acted, and Lellouche stands out with his performance as a man on a desperate quest for freedom and family. Kulig also gives a notable performance as a woman wrestling to decide what is the right thing to do. My only lament, which isn’t necessarily detrimental, is that even though the film clocks in at a comfortable 127 minutes, I did feel it could be a tad sleeker. There were some scenes that could have been trimmed, and a few details were glossed over, but had the runtime been a bit tighter, I think that the thrills would have packed an even stronger punch. However, the perpetual tension keeps you along for the ride regardless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUJVM1NdMA8

Kompromat is currently available to rent or buy on all major VOD services.

Watch Kompromat