One of the best cases of an unsung, and generally unseen, foreign film getting a chance to find an audience on videotape is Joyce Bunuel's first feature, DIRTY DISHES. This exciting and energetic film looks at the social and moral violence of housewifery.
Armelle (Carole Laure) is a thirtyish French housewife who, in the very first frame of the opening credit sequence, must wrestle with her vacuum cleaner and examine its dusty innards in order to complete her daily chores. Later, Armelle and her husband, Marc (Pierre Santini), are picnicking in an
idyllic, grassy setting. They dance wildly to some upbeat music while their two young children look on in amazement. This honeymoon soon ends, however, when a stranger drives up and verbally assaults them, then continues to terrorize the family, chasing them through the park and nearly crushing
the head of one of the children under his front tire, until, just as suddenly as he arrived, he leaves.
The story of a bored housewife has been told hundreds of times before, but rarely with so much insight, skill, or sense of impending danger. Bunuel (the American-born daughter-in-law of Luis Bunuel) directs the film at a feverish pace, and adroitly avoids stumbling over the usual cliches. Laure
plays her role perfectly, turning in a wholly believable performance as the pretty ex-club dancer who gradually questions her decision to have a husband and family. leave a comment
