Rating: NNN
UN CRABE DANS LA TETE (André Turpin), in English being called Soft Shell Man, tells the story of underwater photographer Alex (David La Haye). He’s been waylaid in his hometown of Montreal, where he avoids dealing with his past by getting entangled in a string of new relationships. Quebecois filmmaker Turpin’s snappy dramedy depicts Alex as the kind of guy who’ll deliver drugs for a dealer pal and fall in love after a single meeting, but lacks the guts to talk to his wife, whom he abandoned six months earlier. La Haye, one of Quebec’s rising stars, gives a first-rate performance. He’s seductively good-natured, but as the film develops we see how manipulative and afraid Alex actually is. Un Crabe Dans La Tête is further proof that Quebec produces this country’s most original and thought-provoking movies. 102 minutes. NNN
