DISORDER (ALICE WINOCOUR, 2015)

As the cowriter for last year’s festival darling and Oscar-nominated Mustang, it’s something of a surprise to see Alice Winocour take to directing the very masculine and violent Disorder. The film sees Matthias Schoenaerts as Vincent, a former soldier suffering with PTSD, gigging as security for a posh Lebanese diplomat.  He’s then tasked with security for the diplomat’s wife, played by Diane Kruger. The narrative isn’t especially compelling, though Winocour displays a level of craft that exceeds even that seen in Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Mustang. Most notable is the film’s sound design, which reverberates with intensity as Vincent loses his grip on reality. Matthias Schoenaerts also, typically, submits a worthy performance, one that highlights his sizable frame in contrast to his fragile psyche.  But the film never quite achieves the paranoia that it hopes to evoke, resulting in a commendable yet forgettable exercise.