La Guerre à Paris (2002) - film review

Paris 1943.  Jules and Thomas are two brothers who couldn’t be more different.  Whilst Thomas, the younger brother, is eager to participate in his father’s resistance adventures against the Nazis, Jules, 19, has no ideals, and no desire to get involved in a lost cause.  When the father narrowly escapes being arrested by the French police, Jules is taken into custody.  He is questioned by the young commissioner, Romain, who offers him a deal.  The police will protect Jules and his family providing Jules gives them information about Spanish refugees.  Jules can no longer stand on the sidelines…

Yolande Zauberman’s third film comes after the controversial Clubbed to Death (1996) and offers an unusual take on the World War II drama.  The story is a familiar one but, unusually for a historical drama, has an unnervingly modern feel.  This is achieved through the use of sets and costumes which would be familiar to a modern cinema audience and the kind of camerawork which is best associated with avant-garde contemporary film directors.   To a certain degree, this does work to create a connection with the spectator which a more traditional approach probably wouldn’t, and it certainly adds bite to some of the film’s more shocking sequences.  However, Zauberman appears to have concentrated on style to the detriment of the film’s other aspects.  The narrative feels complacent and insubstantial, to the extent that it is hard for a spectator to develop any kind of emotional involvement with the characters or their predicament.  This is in spite of some first class acting contributions, most notably from Jérémie Renier, one of Europe’s most promising young actors.  By contrast, Élodie Bouchez’s performance is a huge disappointment – caricatured and unconvincing, serving only to emphasise the lack of dramatic force in the awesomely naive script.  Whilst the film should be commended on its originality of style, its lack of narrative cohesion and any substance prevents it from having any real impact.

© James Travers 2006

Write a review for this film...

What do you think of this film?