Mia Hansen-Love’s family drama is set in the City of Love. The film opens with a glorious journey around Paris on the way to the countryside with a charismatic film producer, Gregoire Canvel (Louis-Do de Lencquesaing), who chain-smokes, makes constant calls on his mobile phone and manages a steering wheel at the same time. His multi-tasking sets a precedent for the rest of the film.
Gregoire Canvel is a man who seems invincible as he works his charm moving from one deal to another. To paraphrase Hunter S. Thompson, film … ‘is a nasty business, a long, narrow money trench populated by pimps and thieves’ and Canvel is caught up in the thick of it. However, in his case, he is a true mentor who believes in the artistic side of his craft and his role was in fact inspired by the director’s working relationship with the prolific French film producer, Humbert Balsan.
Waiting for Canvel at their country abode is his wife, Sylvia (Chiara Caselli) and their three adorable daughters, the oldest, Clemence (Alice-Do de Lencquesaing) and Valentine (Alice Gautier) and Billie (Manelle Driss), in their debut roles. We get the picture of a man who simply adores his family, but is also consumed by the commitment to his profession to which he devotes most of his time and energy. He is so pre-occupied during the trip and is stopped by the police for speeding. It’s almost at this point where his life starts to unravel.
Money is the driving force for any producer and their reputations and careers depend on it. Money is also the source of all evil and Hansen-Love uses it to create havoc. Although the film is ostensibly a family drama, it is also about the machinations of the film industry and in some ways a metaphor for the current global financial crisis. Let’s face it, people are known to react in a desperate manner when faced with a financial dilemma.
The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Pascal Auffray (All Is Forgiven) and like many French films it makes you want to buy a one-way ticket to Paris. It is also very well cast and it is interesting to note that Louis-Do’s daughter is his, in real life. The Italian actress, Chiara Caselli (My Own Private Idaho) delivers a very watchable performance and audiences will be torn apart by this story. However, it offers a glimmer of hope, in the belief that family love conquers all.
// SALT
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