Happy Few

Feeling like it was purpose-built for affluent, middle-aged couples thinking about engaging in some consenting extra-marital nookie, this well made but ineffectual ensemble drama examines relationships with a capital ‘R’ and feels like it should be viewed with a new-age self help manual and a tub of hummus close by. Rachel (Marina Foïs) and Franck (Roschdy Zem) are happily married. So are Vincent (Nicolas Duvauchelle) and Teri (Elodie Bouchez). Yet a wandering hand at a dinner party leads them to ponder whether they’ve got it in them to exchange partners for purely sexual ends, quickly culminating in a inhibition-busting four-way fantasy that involves a large sack of flour. But inevitably, their hedonism turns sour and the film’s initially risky suggestion that sex and love can and should be practiced separately fritters away.