Julian and Sophie are two French kids that form an unusual relationship; whoever holds the trophy, a toy carousel given to Julian by his dying mother, gets to call the game. “Cap ou pas cap?” Dares on a ridiculous scale – pee in the headmaster’s office, topple a relative’s wedding cake – put the pair in endless trouble. So close they’re unable to form any other meaningful relationship, the game encases their childish friendship well into adulthood where the dares become vicious. Aware of the damage they’re causing each other, they part and reunite, each occasion more cruel and savage than the time before. “Back in the game ... better than freedom, better than life,” muses Julian. Enduring love, albeit offbeat, has reared its head. Director Yan Samuell is an illustrator, graphic artist and comic strip creator who creates a hyper-realistic world for Sophie and Julian to inhabit. There’s an air of Amelie about Love Me If You Dare that will satisfy and annoy audiences in equal measure. Samuell shoots his confection like a stylish commercial and cuts it with the energy of an action film but seems unable to let us engage the heart of his story. Peculiar given that’s the crux of the picture – heart and the games it will play. While this production shares the same kookiness, it’s much more ill-tempered than Amelie and lacks the internal logic that made the latter such a delight. Yet for all its flaws, Love Me If You Dare still manages to stand out from the crowd in an inspired and inventive fashion. // COLIN FRASER