‘Nobody Else But You” has the ingredients for a splendid neo-noir. It’s set in a gloomily snowbound town billed as “the Siberia of France.” The main character is a nosy crime novelist named David Rousseau (Jean-Paul Rouve) who’s repeatedly compared, albeit unfavorably, to James Ellroy.
The dialogue is sharp, and the townspeople, when they aren’t actually dangerous, are colorful without degenerating into whimsy. There’s even a nod to Otto Preminger’s great “Laura,” as Rousseau finds himself falling in love with a dead woman.
The catch is that the dead woman is a beautiful platinum blonde named Candice Lecoeur (Sophie Quinton), whose life and death make her a small-time, low-rent version of Marilyn Monroe. There is not a single aspect of Monroe’s overly chronicled biography that does not have its echo in this film.
“Nobody Else But You’’ has a great deal going for it, not the least of which is Rouve, who takes the novelist’s obsessiveness, depression and general boorishness and turns it all into the source of his appeal. Ultimately, though, the film’s impact depends on how eager you are to revisit Monroe’s personal life. At this late date, not everyone will find it as fascinating as the filmmakers evidently do.