Timing is everything and this pop cultural moment could certainly be defined by concerns about infidelity. On the heels of the new Showtime release The Affair, Mathieu Amalric (likely recognized by stateside audiences for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Quantum of Solace) condenses the drama down significantly in The Blue Room, but he makes sure to pack it with emotional baggage and Hitchcockian suspense. The multi-hyphenate Amalric (co-writer and director) stars as a man tucked away in a room with a sensual and testy lover (Stéphanie Cléau) while teasing glimpses are given of the time both before and after the limbo-like interludes. A festival standout this summer in Munich, The Blue Room showcases a performer infatuated by and curious about the craft and willing to challenge and expose himself in pursuit of something real. (Opens Friday at Mariemont Theater) — (R) Grade: B
This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4, 2014.