L’Idole (2002)

L’Idole is a French film first released in 2002, directed by Samantha Lang.  The film is based on a novel by Michelle Tourneur and stars Leelee Sobieski, James Hong, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Jalil Lespert and Marie Loboda.  It has also been released under the title: The Idol.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


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This film contrasts the narcissism of youth and beauty, taking life for granted and being prepared to throw it petulantly away, with the measured, voyeuristic and detached pain and trauma of a Chinese man who is 70 years old, and living in an alien culture.  The French, with their Euro-centric, self serving provincialism make a canvas for the bigger drama conducted by outsiders, but still enmeshed in the drama of life, which according to the filmmaker will paralyse us all, to varying degrees, with its artificiality. We seize moments of authenticity and they prove costly.  The curse seems like a narcissistic fantasy, a piece of cosmic nonsense - except it happens.  When the young Sarah bites her friend/ voyeur/ protector, he decides to poison her with the sleeping pills she had reserved for a bungled suicide.  He fails. Sarah has moved out of the apartment.  His illusion of detachment has also left. A strangely prescient, jealous and lovely young girl has the final word, rearranging the reality to suit her own script.  This is a wonderfully complex and intriguing film. It will not be appreciated or understood by many.  I congratulate Samantha Lang for her achievement.

© Gail Morgan (Sydney, Australia) 2010  

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