Priceless....

I guess when it hits you it really does. This was the fate that befell our heroine, Audrey Tatou in the attractive French film, “Hors de Prix.” The title means “Priceless” in English. This is one of the flicks I have seen this year which I really adore because of the nonchalance of the pace of the film as well as the relevance to my so-called life! Hehehee….

There was a period of time earlier this year when I became crazy about French films. There was a charm to the language that appealed to me and the only way I could see and listen to French people talk for an extended period of time was to watch their films. There is the fact of course that there are many attractive French actors who help my cause and well many of their films also have interesting plots. There is just a certain styleto the way French films are made which make them unique but not necessarily appealing to mainstream viewers.

Irene (Audrey Tatou) is a gold-digging hooker who has a sugar daddy, Jacques, who buys her everything – Chanel dresses and shoes, expensive jewelry and five star accommodation. She was an expert at what she did and well what with her attractive face and finesse, she is quite the catch herself. Honestly in my opinion if not for the short dresses she wore and her excessive flashing of cleavage, she would never be mistaken for a prostitute because she was fantastically “ravissante!” and simply did not look the type.

All that high-class lifestyle ends when she meets Jean, a rather clueless but moderately attractive barman/waiter/driver in a hotel who was mistaken by Irene to be someone rich. They end up in bed twice, the last of which proved to be Irene’s undoing and fall from grace – Jacques finding out about her indiscretions. She gets thrown out of his life – credit card, diamond ring etcetera and all…

And her suffering culminate when shefinds out that Jean is a mere blue-collar worker, not the high roller she thought him to be. She flees to Nice to seek her fortunes once again, mini-skirt, cleavage and that gorgeous face as ammunition. Problem is she can’t seem to shake off Jean who has taken a fancy to her and followed her there. He initially thinks he has a chance with her and continues to woo her, fast becoming a nuisance. She punishes him by first pretending to be interested in her for a couple of days while stripping him off of everything – using his credit card to buy Gucci, Chanel etcetera. He ends up penniless and was about to be turned over onto the hands of policemen for failing to pay his hotel debt when a sudden twist of fate stepped in the form of an extremely rich, high society but older woman, Mrs. Pontini, who takes a fancy to him. His cluelessness and simplicity seem to press buttons in her. He becomes her boy-toy and companion throughout her stay in Nice. She takes him under her wing and starts to shower him with everything – expensive shirts and watches, a fancy scooter etcetera.

Jean, though, continues to hang onto his fascination with Irene. Irene has found another sugar daddy in the same hotel so they ran into each other constantly and Irene realizes she has found an equal in him. She teaches him the twists and turns of being a good escort, devious ways to hook your client. The golden rule of escorting is to extract as much as you can before your benefactor dumps you and moves on. They become fast friends as a result and throughout the film find moments of togetherness, exchanging ideas and comparing purchases made for them by their clients. Irene though does not realize she is slowly starting to fall for his innocent and unsophisticated ways.

The loveliest part of the film, deservingly, takes place when Irene meets Jacques again, her benefactor at the beginning of the film. It is at a party where many so called high-society people attend. Jacques is with another woman and Irene dons her revenge gear on. She convinces Jean, who has become more obsessed with her than ever after spending the night at a lovely beach in the outskirts of town, to seduce Jacques’ companion and teach him a lesson for throwing her out over a year ago. They trick her into believing he is a rich man – a familiar scheme. The girl falls for the trap and dumps Jacques, escorting Jean to his room. Jacques sees his woman go off with another man andsomehow sees this an opportunity to reunite with Irene. He decides he has forgiven her and tries to take a stab at being with her again. In their first-ever conversation after a year he asks Irene to keep him company throughout the week. But Irene realizes she has fallen head-over-heels in love with the young, simpleton, Jean, and she tells Jacques her future plans, “l’amoure!” (love!) and runs into the hotel corridor to stop Jean from ending up in bedwith Jacque’s original companion. The end sees them both riding into the uncertainty of the future but immersed in love and together at last.

Of course I believe the greatest lesson in the film is material things never suffice to satisfy our most important personal needs. The most essential things in life are the ones that are unseen, realities that transcend the more materialistic aspects of life. Perhaps another unspoken lesson is tenacity and grit can get you to a lot of places and afford you a lot of things. When you hang onto something and exercise patience, eventually it will become yours. Look at what Jean eventually earned, love and happiness….