A money laundering scheme catches the interest of numerous intelligence agencies. The central perpetrator Alice (Cécile de France) is asked to cooperate with a number of them in what ultimately winds up being an increasingly tangled web.
This is the setup for Eric Rochant's "Möbius." What ultimately materializes is a moving romance in which the emotions of two lovers are forced to battle against a league of calculating beings that represent said agencies. The film owes a great deal to the Hitchcock thriller, with a few striking resemblances to his masterwork "Notorious."
The film's opening act feels convoluted. The viewer is introduced to its numerous characters rapidly with the only major conversations relating the aforementioned plot. An attempt to concretely express this plot could actually result in confusing blabbering that might ultimately get us nowhere. The whole point is that the overall scheme is simply a framework for its central romance featuring Alice and Gregory Lioubov/ Moïse (Jean Dujardin).
Alice is a finance expert while Moïse is a Russian intelligence agent. The Russians are following (and using) Alice to take down Russian mobster Ivan Rostovsky (Tim Roth). After following her repeatedly, Moïse, frustrated by his underlings' ineptitude, decides to take on the task in person. However, his first encounter with Alice transfixes him and he falls for her immediately. The romance that ensues, based on a lie, creates a tremendous dilemma for Moïse who could jeopardize the mission if he is caught with her.
The most powerful scenes in this film are undoubtedly the ones between the two leads. Their first encounter in a bar called "Destiny" features a flirtation through a mirror. They eventually find themselves in a hotel room engaging in a powerfully honest sex scene. Rochant keeps the camera tight on each character, constantly cutting to extreme close-ups of their eyes to emphasize this connection. In the climactic moment of the scene, he holds the camera in place and lets the performer take over. One of the more suspenseful and intimate moments comes near the end of the film during which Alice tries to call Moïse. Unbeknownst to her, he is sitting in a car with other agents outside her hotel. Her phone has been wired and as she calls, Moïse deftly takes out his phone and communicates with her; the scene is full of creative execution and paramount tension. Rochant is also tasteful in his execution of the film's lone action sequence. Two characters battle on an elevator and the resulting death is treated without overemphatic camera angles or cuts.
Despite its intense subject matter, the film also presents moments of comic timing. During their first meeting, Alice asks Moïse if he came to find what he sought at the "Destiny" club. He responds that what he needs is a bar called "Disaster." She responds that she knows the place. The ensuing shot brings the characters to the "Apocalypse" nightclub.
De France brings a moving performance as Alice. Her first scene portrays her in a rather confident aloof manner as she analyzes a move to purchase Spanish bonds. She comes off as a strong character that is uneasily intimidated. However, her love affair reveals a character in deep need for love and company. The film's climax features a breathtaking display from De France; she makes no move or says anything. All she does is stare in disbelief at the incident unfolding, her eyes revealing her inner conflict at what is going on around her.
Dujardin follows up his Oscar winning performance from "The Artist" with a depth portrait of a man searching for his direction. At the start of the film, he exudes impatience toward his fellow agents and retains a calculated and cold demeanor. The romance brings out the best in him and despite remaining silence, his eyes take on a life of their own expressing the anxious dilemma this character has gotten himself into. Nothing is as it seems with him and a potent action sequence will certainly lend to that shock value.
Tim Roth adds a sentimental edge to Rostovsky, the man everyone is out to get. However, his bodyguard Khorzov (Aleksey Gorbunov) is frightening; his probing stare emitting suspicion. Oddly enough, the inclusion of Americans proves to be the weak point. The recreation of the CIA headquarters comes off as inauthentic and its cast members are rather wooden in their delivery.
"Möbius" moves at a steady pace with its powerful love story keeping its otherwise meandering spy narrative afloat. The film's spy narrative never really become comprehensible, but its delicate presentation of the romance grabs hold of the viewer and refuses to let go.