Heads or Fails, which just premiered at Fantastic Fest is the sophomore effort by the Guit Brothers, Lenny & Harpo, and their follow up to the insane and very hilarious Mother Schmuckers, one of the funniest things to hit the festival circuit back in 2021. This time the Belgium pair are back and tackle an equally flawed female protagonist in an anxiety inducing slice of life black comedy, that feels like Frances Ha meets Uncut Gems. If you loved Mother Schmuckers, you’re definitely going to enjoy Heads of Fails, as the film cements the duo from Brussels as a force to be reckoned with in the black comedic space.
Heads or Fails follows Armande Pigeon (Maria Cavalier-Bazan) an early 20-something woman who moved to Brussels to find love, and has so far been as unlucky as you can get. She’s basically a terrible person too, she doesn’t have a job and sleeps on a fold up cot in the living room of an old woman, whom she owes 3 months back rent. She lies and steals from her friends, will ask out anything with a pulse, and is a degenerate gambler. When we first meet her she loses her shoes in a bet, and we are forced to watch her just go from one terrible wager to another, all while being a pestilence on those around her.
The big question here is, when will what’s left of her luck run out as she is hedging her bets on a big score.
What makes the fllm infinitely watchable is how Maria Cavalier-Bazan’s engaging and fearless take on the actor, thief, gambler, and completely irredeemable human being. Hidden in her performance amidst all this chaos, Cavalier-Bazan is able to find the humanity in Armande and highlight these moments, it’s here we bear witness to what those around her might have seen when they met her. It’s also how the Guit Brothers portray her that’s a breath of fresh air, Armande is gross, she’s unfeminine at times and her character feels fleshed out and multidimensional in such a way that even though her sexuality is portrayed here, its feels completely organic to the character and her life.
Whether you like it or not at its core, Heads or Fails forces the audience to watch someone too young to know better make terrible choices, and it’s because of those earlier glimmers we’re still secretly rooting for her. I mean I was. Sometimes it’s hilarious, sometimes it’s upsetting, but it never feels cheap or manipulative in its choices and as a character study it just cooks. It takes a while as an audience, but we soon realize Armande HAS found love in Brussels after all, with chaos, as her world comes crashing down around her. It’s a sight to behold as the credits roll as she finally realizes this. Heads or Fails isn’t for everyone, but if you thought Frances Ha may not have been chaotic enough for your liking, Armande is your girl.
