The Bridesmaid

Bill Gallo September 7, 2006 4:00AM

Director Claude Chabrol's fascination with the pathologies submerged in middle-class life takes a vivid and scary new turn in The Bridesmaid, the second film he's adapted from a Ruth Rendell novel (following La Cérémonie). This time, an unsuspecting young man (soulful Benoit Magimel) falls into the clutches of a seductive bridesmaid (Laura Smet) at his sister's wedding. Before our eyes, her needy sensuality begins to reveal something much darker, and -- master that he is -- Chabrol takes great pleasure in exploring her magnetism and her secret agenda, which is rife with delusions. The iconic French star Aurore Clement struts great stuff as the energetic matriarch of the film's complex, screwed-up family.

The Bridesmaid opens a one-week run at Starz FilmCenter on Friday, September 8. Starz is at 900 Auraria Parkway, in the Tivoli building; for more information, call 303-820-3456 or go to www.denverfilm.org.

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Bill Gallo

Contact: Bill Gallo