Inséparables (1999) - film review

Realising that he has failed in both his professional life and his love life, an unemployed actor, Robert, returns to his home town of Boulogne.  He stays with his sister, Gisèle, whose own life is far from being a success.  She is having an affair with her boss, who is unwilling to commit to her, and she spends much of her time caring for her elderly mother and retarded brother.  As he relives some old friendships, Robert begins to discover new meaning in his life.

This first film from director Michel Couvelard provides a bitter-sweet, often poignant, depiction of mid-life crisis, from the perspective of a middle-aged brother and sister.  When they meet after a period of estrangement, both siblings discover new direction in their lives.  The film is low key and uneventful, yet, thanks mainly to sympathetic portrayals from Catherine Frot and Jean-Pierre Darroussin, tirelessly engaging.  The film provides a sleek ray of optimism to those forty-somethings who, like Robert, are struggling to find meaning in their lives after a decade or so of futile searching.

© James Travers 2002

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