Slapstick Comedy ‘Lost in Paris’ Is a Wickedly Fun Delight

Pricilla Kumar

“Lost in Paris’ is the latest revelation from the works of director Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon. The duo also share a relationship off screen and are two main characters in the film. Gordon plays a quirky Canadian called Fiona, with Abel as a homeless man who has yet to invoke a single feeling or expression. The original title of the film was dubbed ‘Paris pieds nus’ and changed later for the film’s American release.

The plot of the film focuses on Fiona, an uptight, Canadian librarian who finds herself traveling to Paris after receiving a troubling note from her aunt Martha (Emmanuelle Riva). Martha, an eighty-year-old former Canadian dancer, is forced to face the inevitability of being admitted to a senior citizen center because of her ailments. Martha, on the other hand, has absolutely no plans of even being considered a “senior citizen.” When Fiona arrives in Paris, she is both excited and nervous. So nervous, in fact, she falls into the Seine during an impromptu photoshoot. Gone are all the things Fiona arrived with, including all of her documentation and money.

When Fiona arrives in Paris, there are no signs of Martha who has seemingly disappeared into thin air, according to everyone that Fiona manages to ask. Fiona goes on a journey to find her aunt, and on her adventure she comes across a homeless man by the name of Dom, who is a bit dashing and charming all bundled up in a flabby sweater.

The film does an excellent job of overlapping various emotions and characters. From each character you can expect a variety of facial expressions that include over the top joy, deadpan, loss and balderdash behavior. In a couple of scenes the catastrophe of the Canadian weather wreaks havoc on anyone daring to open a door. The film plays on Canadian and European tropes while maintaining a bout of humor that is both edgy and laugh out loud funny. “Lost in Paris” is composed of different pieces from the viewpoints of both Fiona and Martha relatively. Each character does a fascinating job keeping the viewer engaged.

“Lost in Paris” does lose its charm near the end but it is worth a watch for the character arcs and dialogue on their own.

The film also stars Pierre Richard, Olivier Parenty, Philippe Martz and Emmy Boissard Paumelle.

“Lost in Paris” is playing in select theaters July 7.