An abomination brings two friends closer together in Mandibles, the latest from writer/director Quentin Dupieux.
There’s no gentle way to describe this movie, so I’ll just rip the band-aid off: it’s about a giant fly. Well, a giant fly and the two friends who discover it. Instead of being instantly revolted they see a money-making opportunity, imagining all the things they can train this most unique creature to do. But first, they must keep their discovery under wraps until he’s ready to unveil to the world, which gives them more than enough time to get distracted by people who are just as unusual as their newfound pet.
Yes, this movie knows how absurd it is. The premise is pure Dupieux, though, who has already given us movies about a killer tire (Rubber) and a guy who really likes his deerskin jacket (Deerskin). Be ready for him to push this giant fly movie to the extreme, even if he is working within a slight 77 minute runtime.
Dupieux is such a known and unique quantity at this point that his movies attract excellent casts, this time with the comedy duo Grégoire Ludig and David Marsais starring as the bumbling friends who find the creature. Also co-starring in what appears to be a loud performance is Adèle Exarchopoulos, who flexes her comedy chops.
This is an odd one, to be sure, but it received a warm reception during its festival run. And hey, you probably haven’t seen this scenario before.
Mandibles is directed by Quentin Dupieux and stars Grégoire Ludig, David Marsais, and Adèle Exarchopoulos. It will be released in the US on July 23rd, 2021. For international release dates, click here.
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