The opening sequence of "Complices", with a body floating down a river, will resonate with those who remember "Twin Peaks". In this instance, the waterlogged corpse is that of a rootless young man, Vincent, rather than beautiful homecoming queen Laura Palmer - and the subsequent murder inquiry unveils the hidden decadence of the French city of Lyons, rather than that of a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Herve and Karine are the two detectives assigned to the case, and their initial fact-finding in Lyons reveals an additional echo from David Lynch's landmark TV series - Vincent, like Laura, had been prostituting himself. As Herve and Karine probe into Vincent's complicated life - as well as their own - the film cuts back and forth between the murder investigation and the young hustler's activities in the days prior to his death. They discover he was bi-sexual, and involved with high-school student Rebecca, who has disappeared. The detectives soon learn demure, middle-class Rebecca had participated in Vincent's commercial engagements, leaving them uncertain whether the missing girl may be the unknown killer, or another victim.
Writer/director Mermoud creates believable and sympathetic personalities, and his actors' fine performances ensure the characters remain interesting until the story's two time-lines are integrated in an unexpected and poignant conclusion. "Complices" is an exceptional film with an intriguing narrative arc unfolding in an original manner.
