“Chaos” is part comedy, part revenge thriller, part social commentary and part feminist drama.
Although comedy takes precedence in most parts of the film, it is the social commentary part that will spark the most debate. France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, mostly from its citizens who are from its former colonies in North Africa. Culture clashes are inevitable when a burgeoning and mostly traditional Muslim society slowly assimilates itself within a Western society that lives by much different values. In this film, Serreau tries to address the hot issue of traditional Muslim society´s treatment of women, specifically the issue of fathers "selling" their teenage daughters into marriages with much older men. Melodrama aside, "Chaos" has a serious message to convey to its audience and it does it with force and without fear.
Throughout the film, we see the male characters, mostly portrayed as self-important, lazy and bullies, finally get what they deserved. However, without any redeeming male characters, "Chaos" is blatantly skewed towards the feminist crowd. "Chaos" openly celebrates and even glorifies the strength and perseverance of a group of women who are confronted with insurmountable obstacles in a male-dominated society. Feminist-heavy films may not be everyone´s cup of tea but Serreau is still able to bestow upon "Chaos" a darkly funny nature with an equally intriguing storyline to ponder over.
Video:
For the most part, the video quality of "Chaos" is good and its anamorphic widescreen presentation, with an aspect ratio measuring 1.85:1 is clean without any dirt or scratches. For us non-French speaking viewers, English subtitles are available.
Audio:
Only a French language audio track, encoded in Dolby Surround 2.0 is offered on this DVD. The front speakers do most, if not all, of the heavy lifting, leaving the surrounds bare and underutilized. The subwoofer gets into the act once in a while but due to the film´s dialogue-heavy nature, it is sparingly used. In fact, audio-wise, "Chaos" sounds pretty ordinary.
When watching foreign films, I could care less about English dubs as the natural tone and sometimes even the cultural significance of a particular scene can get lost in them. In any case, French is a beautiful language and is a joy to listen.
Extras:
New Yorker Films releases are not known for including many bonus materials and unfortunately with "Chaos", this status quo is maintained. Only the original theatrical trailer is included as an extra.
Film Value:
"Chaos" contains as many points that I liked as much as I disliked. In short, I am torn as to how to rate it. On one hand it is a dark and hilarious film with a great cast. But on the other hand, it is, in itself, extremely difficult to embrace due to its highly feminist message with a take-no-prisoner attitude that leaves all of its male characters in the gutter. The lack of a balanced portrayal between the female and male characters in the film places it on the extreme end of one spectrum, making "Chaos" a typical love-it or hate-it film. That is why I will be sitting on the fence on this one.
Throughout the film, we see the male characters, mostly portrayed as self-important, lazy and bullies, finally get what they deserved. However, without any redeeming male characters, "Chaos" is blatantly skewed towards the feminist crowd. "Chaos" openly celebrates and even glorifies the strength and perseverance of a group of women who are confronted with insurmountable obstacles in a male-dominated society. Feminist-heavy films may not be everyone´s cup of tea but Serreau is still able to bestow upon "Chaos" a darkly funny nature with an equally intriguing storyline to ponder over.
Video:
For the most part, the video quality of "Chaos" is good and its anamorphic widescreen presentation, with an aspect ratio measuring 1.85:1 is clean without any dirt or scratches. For us non-French speaking viewers, English subtitles are available.
Audio:
Only a French language audio track, encoded in Dolby Surround 2.0 is offered on this DVD. The front speakers do most, if not all, of the heavy lifting, leaving the surrounds bare and underutilized. The subwoofer gets into the act once in a while but due to the film´s dialogue-heavy nature, it is sparingly used. In fact, audio-wise, "Chaos" sounds pretty ordinary.
When watching foreign films, I could care less about English dubs as the natural tone and sometimes even the cultural significance of a particular scene can get lost in them. In any case, French is a beautiful language and is a joy to listen.
Extras:
New Yorker Films releases are not known for including many bonus materials and unfortunately with "Chaos", this status quo is maintained. Only the original theatrical trailer is included as an extra.
Film Value:
"Chaos" contains as many points that I liked as much as I disliked. In short, I am torn as to how to rate it. On one hand it is a dark and hilarious film with a great cast. But on the other hand, it is, in itself, extremely difficult to embrace due to its highly feminist message with a take-no-prisoner attitude that leaves all of its male characters in the gutter. The lack of a balanced portrayal between the female and male characters in the film places it on the extreme end of one spectrum, making "Chaos" a typical love-it or hate-it film. That is why I will be sitting on the fence on this one.
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[release]11612[/release]