Why Not! Is a French dramedy about a bisexual throuple. Writer/director Coline Serreau focuses on the mundane side of the domestic arrangements. Fernand (Sami Frey) keeps house while Alexa (Christine Murillo) and Louis (Mario Gonzales) work part time jobs. Fernand is growing unhappy and considers leaving them for someone new (Nicole Jamet). The film is a character study, light on plot and stakes. The tone ranges from light comedy to bleak tragedy. Serreau never judges bisexuality or polyamory. Her message seems to be that all relationships are messy. Yet there’s an underlying streak of misogyny that the film never addresses.
Let’s have a look in this spoiler filled recap.
Act One: Threesome
Scene One: An old, dilapidated house
FERNAND (a carpenter): I’ve spent all day restoring the house.
LOUIS (a nightclub musician): My boss yelled at me for being late.
ALEXA (cares for an older woman): I hate my job. But I got paid today!
FERNAND: Let’s go to bed.
ALEXA: What are French films allowed to show in 1977?
FERNAND: The three of us asleep, nude, with our arms around each other.
LOUIS: Aww. That’s nice.
Scene Two: Tension
FERNAND (angry): If I’m going to do all the housework, you could at least pick up after yourselves! No one appreciates me!
ALEXA: Shut up!
FERNAND: YOU SHUT UP!
INSPECTOR (nervous): Ahem… excuse me. Did any of you witness the car accident down the road?
TRIO: No.
INSPECTOR: You… um.. all live together? Cool, cool, cool… um… goodbye. (Leaves.)
Scene Three: Tragedies
FERNAND: My ex-wife won’t let me see my kids. Her new husband called me a slur so I punched him.
LOUIS: My mother’s mental health has gotten worse. And so has mine.
ALEXA: My ex-husband asked me to come back. When I said no, he hit me.
FERNAND: I’m so sorry! I’d no idea the film was going to get this dark. (They hold each other.)
Act Two: Mixed Doubles
Scene Four: Outside the Club
FERNAND: Miss? Why are you pouring sand in a gas tank? You’ll destroy the car.
SYLVIE (a beautiful stranger): Mind your own business. This bastard has it coming!
FERNAND: Hide!
(Fernand helps Sylvie hide from the car’s furious owner.)
FERNAND: Your ex?
SYLVIE: It’s complicated. (Cries in his arms.)
Scene Five: The Old House
LOUIS: He’s left us for that woman.
ALEXA: Could the two of us work as a couple?
LOUIS: We’re too chaotic. He gave us structure.
ALEXA: This screenplay could use some structure.
INSPECTOR: My wife left me! How did you three make marriage work?
ALEXA & LOUIS: We didn’t!
Act Three: Quartet
Scene Six: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
FERNAND: Sylvie, I’d like you to meet my… roommates.
SYLVIE: Hi!
LOUIS: Hi?
FERNAND: I’ve asked Sylvie to move in with us.
ALEXA: She knows you’re in a menage?
FERNAND: Not yet. I was thinking we could hide that fact.
LOUIS: So, the film is a farce now?
SYLVIE’s MOTHER: Hi Sylvie! I just hooked up with the Inspector! Can I bring him to dinner?
INSPECTOR: I’m the closest thing this film has to comic relief!
(The six characters have an awkward dinner party.)
Scene Seven: Argument
(Louis tries to play piano for Sylvie. He plays a wrong note and has a panic attack.)
ALEXA: You shouldn’t have let him play! This always happens!
FERNAND: Shut up! I take care of him!
SYLVIE: I keep getting weird vibes from you three. Like that time I caught you in bed together.
FERNAND: Fine! We’re in a menage. You forced it out of me!
(Sylvie packs her bags to leave.)
ALEXA & LOUIS: We’re sorry we didn’t tell you. We’d like you to join us.
SYLVIE: Oh, why not? (Puts down her bags.)
THE END
Pourquoi?
If “Pourquoi Pas!” has any particular point to make, it’s that nonconformity isn’t what it used to be.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
When the chuckles die, what remains is an uncertain moral and a certain queasiness.
Richard Schickel, Time Magazine
Last month I recapped Strawberry Blonde, an Italian film about a male throuple. That group was torn apart by sexual jealousy. But the bedroom is the only place Why Not’s characters seem to be at peace. Fernand has an ugly temper. He’s kind to Louis, as he’s gentle and submissive. But he shouts whenever Alexa or Sylvie challenge him. Alexa’s clearly had worse. We get two scenes of her being struck by her vile ex-husband. But we don’t learn enough about Sylvie to understand why she’d join this household. Particularly after being lied to. She may end up pouring sand in another gas tank.
Why Not! moves slowly despite a 90-minute run time. There are many scenes of the trio hanging out and doing household chores. It reminded me of 1974’s A Very Natural Thing which depicted the domestic normalcy of gay couples. Both are curios for fans of queer cinema.
You can find more of my reviews on The Avocado, Letterboxd and Serializd. My podcast, Rainbow Colored Glasses, can be found here.