Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Three Nights a Week is a romantic drama about Baptiste (Pablo Pauly), an aspiring photographer living with his girlfriend of eight years, Samia (Hafsia Herzi), who is a physician. While Samia is working at a street clinic attending to people in need of healthcare, mostly prostitutes and drag queens, Baptiste hangs around and takes pictures. He meets Cookie Kunty (Romain Eck), a popular local drag queen, and quickly becomes intrigued by her.
One night, while Samia is working, Baptiste gets invited to a club to watch Cookie perform. He agrees to go and later runs into Cookie, where they chat each other up. And from here, the drama begins.
Some Thoughts:
Three Night a Week packs a lot in every scene. Baptiste and Samia’s relationship is defined early on, so we know from the start that the spark is gone and they’re simply going through the motions. These scenes cement their characters, defining Samia as driven and knowing what she wants and showing that Baptiste is a bit lost. This doesn’t excuse Baptiste’s behavior, but it does shed some light on his motivation.
Although the film is more romance than reality, it does favor realism. While being a drag queen is all lights and glitter on stage, it looks very different behind the scenes. Cookie is accustomed to the advances of men–both straight and gay–and is cautious when it comes to Batiste. For Baptiste, it’s very different. Cookie allows him to explore the side of himself that he’d always suppressed.
The acting, pacing, and direction are all well done. The story is never dull, and the emotions ring true. Pauly and Eck give excellent performances that make the viewer care about them. Florent Gouëlou’s direction keep everything moving and down to earth. The focus stays on the human element and downplays the gowns and outrageousness. And because of this, we a get movie that has an honest and fulfilling emotional impact.
The Final Verdict:
Three Nights a Week is an engaging film that gradually draws you in. It’s well paced, has some fine acting, and a satisfying conclusion.