‘Apres Vous’ offers
tasty helping of black comedy

If you're in a black mood before going to see "Apres Vous," you'll feel much better within the opening minutes of this feel-good, silly movie about -- of all things -- death.

"Apres Vous" Plays at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at Dole Cannery Stadium 18 as part of the HIFF Spring Showcase. Admission is $9 for adults; $8 for children, military, students and seniors; and $7 for HIFF members.

When watching a good movie, you can tell a lot about it during its first few minutes. If it's a great movie, it will keep a vein of continuity flowing throughout the film from start to finish. "Apres Vous" does mostly that in a dark comedy about a good Samaritan who tries to make the world a little better for one despondent man.

The delightfully weird spirit of "Apres Vous" -- billed as a romantic comedy -- is immediately captured by punchy music, a colorful opening sequence and shots of delectable gourmet dishes. But this romantic movie isn't sappy. Rather, if wry comedy is your thing, you'll be pleased with this not-so-saccharine treatment of unattainable love and far-fetched friendship.

Except for a slapped-on ending that feels false, all elements come together in this well-written and acted story, which unfolds without extraneous scenes. The movie gives free reign to its actors and relies heavily on them for comedic timing, particularly Daniel Auteuil as the main character, Antoine. Without Auteuil this movie wouldn't have been as likable or could have become callous due to its light treatment of such a grave subject.

Antoine is the maitre d' at a successful Parisian restaurant called Chez Jean. Busy as can be at work, he'll gladly put in a few more hundred hours a week at the restaurant if that's what it takes. It's when he's rushing off to meet his lady friend, pausing to stop and smell the roses, that his life gets a little more complicated. He saves a stranger from committing suicide, but the man's less than thrilled about being rescued, leading the kind Antoine to want to atone for his interference.

THE NERVOUS stranger, Louis (Jose Garcia), quickly becomes a part of the maitre d's life, camping out at Antoine's table during a date; asking Antoine to explain away the contents of an unhappy letter to the elderly grandparents who raised him. Antoine even finds Louis a job, much to the annoyance of the maitre d's girlfriend.

There's an intentional note of co-dependency between Louis and Antoine, and there might not be that much difference between the two men after all. But it's when off-kilter Blanche -- the woman Louis is pining for -- enters the picture that things really get awkward. C'est dommage!

Although the French-language film is subtitled, it's really not needed in this simple story line, as the expressions on the actors' faces say plenty. Much of the comedy is shown through the characters' reactions.

There are times when "Apres Vous" threatens to push too hard for offbeat moments, such as when Louis filches morphine from a roommate at a hospital, or one that gives a nod to "A Streetcar Named Desire," crossing the line from offbeat to distasteful. The film runs the risk of becoming too dark, but it never loses its warm nature.

Garcia and Auteuil should be given credit for adding subtleties to their roles, making their characters more well-rounded than what's in the script. The film also will leave you marveling at how many different ways the one-note joke of death gets fresh life.