(2005; French, English, Russian) Russian dolls refers to a series of hollowed figures that are of progressively smaller size nested inside one another. Who will be the last?

Cedric Klapisch's film is the romantic-comedy sequel to L'Auberge Espagnole, which took place five years earlier in Barcelona where most of the characters became acquainted. They are reunited in St Petersburg, Russia, for William (Kevin Bishop) and Natasha's wedding. How they get there is a cinematic journey.

Xavier (Romain Duris), a 29-year-old bachelor writer, has been divorced from Martine (Audrey Tautou), the fourth of her seven princes, for a year: "Order is a mess." While working on a soap-opera-ish script for a Christmas tv-movie, he has agreed to ghostwrite celebrity memoirs (fiction connected to reality). While looking to purchase a dress for his ex-wife (he chooses a size too large), he gives his phone number to the black salesgirl. When he loses his apartment, he moves in with Isabelle (Cecile De France), a lesbian tv financial-news journalist.

Xavier looks after Martine's young son Lucas (not Xavier's offspring) while she attends a conference in Brazil to protest globalization and pollution of the planet. Upon her return they argue over reality versus fiction: her efforts to save the planet against his parasitic life ("self-centered egotist") writing lousy love stories. Xavier realizes he really doesn't know anything about love or how to write a love story; he's eager to learn from others to avoid relying on clichés.

When his 98-year-old grandfather asks to meet his fiancée, Xavier, not wanting to disappoint the old man before his demise, requests a favor of Isabelle to play the part of bride-to-be. In return he has to dress up as her "wife" for a lesbian party. Isabelle tells him to stop dreaming, expecting a princess or soap-opera heroine to appear in his life.

An old political activist says that the old divide between Right and Left no longer exists: women are either stripped bare or veiled.

The vagaries of globalization result in BBC2 taking over the television network for which Xavier was writing; the script for Passionate Love in Venice now must be completed in English for a British audience. Fortunately Xavier can compose in English as well as French; fortunately as well he knows an English scriptwriter in London with whom he can collaborate, Wendy (Kelly Reilly), his friend William's sister.

A year previous William arrived in Paris for a visit during which he related the story of his meeting in London and falling in love with Natasha (Evguenya Obraztsova), a Russian ballerina, and his plan to study Russian for a year before going to St Petersburg.

In London on his way to Wendy's apartment, Xavier sees Isabelle's face on an outdoor tv screen reporting financial news. When he arrives, Wendy is in the unpleasant process of throwing her boyfriend, Edward (Gary Love), out. Thus, the irony of trying to create a fictional love story while engaged in an actual breakup.

Just as Wendy and Xavier begin to develop the script and a relationship, Xavier receives an assignment to write 24-year-old fashion model (Lucy Gordon) Celia Shelburn's memoirs. Commuting back and forth between London and Paris via train through the Chunnel, Xavier works on both projects while his dream of an affair with a princess of the media becomes real.

He recalls his relationship with Neus (Irene Montale), which began with his chasing her down the stairs and into the street, both completely naked.

William's plan has been successful in St Petersburg: Wendy and Xavier are invited to the wedding ("tombstone of love"). A relationship is like going on a journey together.

Further complicating matters, Celia calls Xavier on his cellphone from Moscow, inviting him to spend a few days with her. After dissembling, telling Wendy he must meet with a publisher in Moscow, the couple go to the train station together where Wendy says to Xavier: "You're a perfect guy … best thing to happen to me in twenty-six years. I'm in love with your imperfections."

So, does he immediately change his plans and embrace her on the platform? How cliché! Or does he dare see if there's another doll to be found inside Russia?

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Copyright © 2008 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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