Movie Review: ‘The Fairy’

Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel in the comedy-drama “The Fairy,” a film about a hotel clerk in search of the fairy who vanished after making two of his three wishes come true. (Laurent Thurin-Nal/ Kino Lorber)

A lot of immigrants come to France through the port city of Le Havre, some legally documented but many more not. Of course, such laws can hardly apply to the Fae like Fiona. She has supposedly come to grant a sad-sack hotel night clerk three wishes but falls in love during the process, in the gentle but burst-out-loud funny comedy fable “The Fairy.”

The film is written by, directed by, and stars the Belgian trio of Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, and Bruno Romy.

If Fiona really is a fairy, her magical skills need sharpening. There is no denying her resourcefulness, though. When she offers poor put-upon Dom the proverbial three wishes, she actually delivers on the first two. While a third wish does not immediately leap to mind, Fiona assures him that he can take his time thinking about it. She is in no hurry to be on her way. Nor is he anxious to see her leave.

Unfortunately, just as their idiosyncratic romance blossoms, events intervene. Much like Aki Kaurismäki’s “Le Havre,” Dom will find himself tangled up with a group of North African illegals as he attempts to bust Fiona out of the mental ward.

Everyone likens Abel, Gordon, and Romy to Jacques Tati and, in truth, it is a rather apt comparison. Rubber-boned and rubber-faced, Abel and Gordon have a flair for dramatic contortions and outrageous situations. While Romy fills a relatively small supporting role in this outing, he has some genuinely inspired bits of business as a nearly blind barkeep.

“The Fairy” is so consistently inventive and gleefully eccentric that it never feels cute or cloying. Like Kaurismäki’s port city tale, Abel, Gordon, and Romy address contemporary issues with the lightest of touches. Rather than a contemporary polemic, it comes across like a paean to underdogs, whoever they might be.

Despite the Potemkin-esque climax, there is nothing heavy about “The Fairy.” Bright and airy with a pastel color palette, it is clean and refreshing entertainment. Indeed, the filmmaking trio demonstrates that physical comedy can be a form of high art.

Warmly recommended, “The Fairy” opens this Friday (Feb. 24) in New York at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center uptown and the Quad Cinema downtown.

Rating: 4 / 5

Joe Bendel writes about independent film and lives in New York. To read his most recent articles, please visit http://jbspins.blogspot.com