Les surprises du divorce: A loud, messy headache from 1933

Should you watch Les surprises du divorce today? If you’re a fan of super early sound cinema and don't mind a bit of theater-on-film, maybe. If you hate characters who make every single problem worse by opening their mouths, stay far away. 🙄

It’s loud. Like, really loud. There is this one scene where they are all bickering in the living room, and I swear I could feel my own blood pressure rising just trying to keep track of who was mad at who. It feels less like a movie and more like someone filmed a play from the back row after the actors had way too much espresso.

The dialogue is just relentless. Nobody ever stops to breathe. They just keep talking over each other until the sound mix turns into this buzzing static. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Family Troubles, but with a lot more French hand-waving.

Simone Héliard is doing her absolute best here. She’s trying to keep a straight face while the plot just goes completely off the rails around her. There’s a moment where she’s holding a teapot and just staring into space, and I honestly think she was wondering if the director was ever going to yell 'cut'.

The pacing is… well, it doesn't really pace. It just sort of vibrates at high speed until it stops. It’s funny in a 'why are you people like this?' kind of way, but it isn't exactly subtle. Don't go looking for deep character arcs or anything. You’re here for the shouting matches.

Oddly enough, the furniture in this movie has more personality than half the supporting cast. There’s this one armchair that looks like it’s seen better days, and it shows up in almost every frame. I found myself staring at the upholstery during the long, drawn-out arguments. It was a nice break.

If you've seen The Bachelor Girl, you might recognize that specific 'let's make everything a disaster' vibe. This movie leans into that trope so hard it almost tips over. 🎭

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely a coherent narrative half the time. But there’s something weirdly charming about how committed everyone is to being completely unbearable. You can tell they all had fun, even if I was exhausted by the end of it.

• The door slamming count is way too high.
• The lighting is very 'stage production'—shadows everywhere.
• Someone really needs to tell the cast to take a nap.

Anyway. It exists. It’s 1933. You can hear the film grain in the audio. If you're into that sort of thing, have at it. Just maybe keep the volume down.