A pair of lovers are seen making out in the front seat of their car as an accompanying song slowly intensifies, “there’s trouble every day, trouble every day, trouble every day…”. The snogging sesh becomes increasingly passionate, bodies writhing around uncontrollably. Yet things start to creep beyond a so-called love, moving more towards an animalistic rage. Then a cut to black. This brief scene opens Claire Denis’ Trouble Every Day, immediately establishing the film’s central idea – desire is a disease.
Now considered a staple of contemporary French cinema, auteur Claire Denis went to new heights with Trouble Every Day, simultaneously marking her first excursion into genre cinema. Here Denis delivers a daring erotic horror, one which playfully chews on pre-existing ideas of sexual taboo and spits them right back out again, only in an entirely new order.
The film follows newlyweds Shane (Vincent Gallo) and June Brown (Tricia Vessey) who are honeymooning in Paris. Shane has a little more than love on his mind, however, as he is committed to finding a former medical colleague, Léo Semanau (Alex Descas), following his work on the human libido. But Léo has abandoned all contact with past personnel, instead focused on hiding a patient whose testing went only a little haywire: his own wife, the cannibalistic, blood-craving Coré (Béatrice Dalle). The bloodthirsty disease that maintains Coré’s desire for just one more bite also affects Shane, something that he must eventually come to terms with.
The climax of this scene is unforgettable, mouth-gaping stuff, and the film rides this high for the remaining duration.
Restored by Eureka as part of their Masters of Cinema series, Claire Denis’ Trouble Every Day is a worthy addition to any avid horror fan’s collection. One nice feature of this 4K restoration is the inclusion of an original French soundtrack by Tindersticks, complimenting Denis’ intense horror show with a series of melancholic orchestral arrangements. And gorgeously presented in 4K Ultra-HD and Blu-Ray, the rare but impactful use of rich, red blood in Trouble Every Day stands out like never before.
One memorable bloody scene sees a chance encounter between Coré and a man who manages to sneak into the boarded-up house where she dwells. With her cannibalistic tendencies merely hinted at prior to this meeting, this is a big moment for the viewer. Agnes Godard’s cinematography only builds more anticipation as an extreme close-up slowly traces along the victim’s bare chest, patiently mapping out potential target areas. Then, the devouring comes fast, with spurts of blood flying everywhere as Coré rips into the man’s neck. The climax of this scene is unforgettable, mouth-gaping stuff, and the film rides this high for the remaining duration.
From this scene alone, it’s clear to see how Trouble Every Day acted as an essential precursor to the New French Extremity movement, tackling primal desires and sexual issues head-on. A special interview with New French Extremity expert, Alice Haylett Bryan, helps shed light on Claire Denis’ presentation of sex and the human body in Trouble Every Day. In fact, Eureka’s restoration edition is packed with many insightful extras. Writer and journalist Virginie Sélavy provides a video essay on Trouble Every Day as a vampire film. This poses many interesting questions, as Coré and Shane aren’t undead, and don’t feed on their victims for survival purposes like your archetypal vampire would. Maybe they can instead be labelled as innocent people altered by a life-changing, cannibalistic disease. It’s thought-provoking special features like Sélavy’s video essay that enable viewers to reflect on questions of genre and character seen in Trouble Every Day.
Trouble Every Day bides its time well, comfortable in its downbeat, gloomy moments and equally delivering bloody sucker-punches at just the right time. It’s clear to see its impact on subsequent films tied to the name of ‘extreme cinema’ and is a fine addition to Eureka’s Masters of Cinema series.
TROUBLE EVERY DAY (4K) IS OUT NOW ON MASTERS OF CINEMA BLU-RAY
