La Petite chambre (2011) - film review

Despite his advanced age and the fact that he suffers from diabetes, Edmond is determined to hold onto his independence.  He refuses to move into a retirement home and stubbornly rejects the support of Rose, the young nurse who tries to care for him in his own home.  When Edmond suffers a nasty fall, he has no option but to be admitted to a care home.   Rose can be just as stubborn as Edmond and takes it upon herself to look after the old man in her own home.  Edmond’s temperament softens when he learns that Rose is desperately trying to come to terms with the recent loss of her unborn child...

La Petite chambre offers a thoughtful reflection on one of the most pressing social issues of our time, namely the provision that society should make for its elderly.  The issue is particularly pertinent at the present time, as the current system of support for the elderly is struggling to cope with the twin challenges of an ageing population and diminishing resources.  In their first film, Swiss directors Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond deliver a moving and provocative film that should hopefully stimulate thought and debate on a subject that will ultimately effect us all and which has yet to be given the focus and commitment it deserves.  Prior to this, Chuat and Reymond had worked as actresses, the latter having featured in Eric Rohmer’s final film Les Amours d’Astrée et de Céladon (2007).

The film marks the return of Michel Bouquet to the big screen after a gap of six years.  Since he played the lead in Robert Guédiguian’s Le Promeneur du champ de Mars (2005), Bouquet has devoted himself to his stage work, but was persuaded to return to cinema on the strength of Chuat and Reymond’s screenplay.  In describing Bouquet’s work, it is too easy to lose oneself in a sea of superlatives, but his performance is particularly what makes this film worth seeing.  Whilst the character he plays is anything but sympathetic, he compels us to identify with the solitary old man whose sole desire is to stay as active and independent for as long as possible, putting off that fearful day when he must submit to the care of others.  Bouquet’s portrayal hasn’t the slightest hint of pathos or false sentiment, and in his character’s frustration and helplessness we perhaps see our own future, painted large on the screen in front of us, a vision that forces us to reflect and empathise with the plight of those who are nearing the end of life’s journey.

Where the film is perhaps less successful is its over-reliance on soap-style contrivances, which weaken its impact and give a false lustre to its authenticity.  The plot is pure soap, revolving around the improbable friendship that develops between two characters who find themselves marginalized by their sense of injustice - a diabetic old man who is slowly losing his faculties and a young woman who cannot get over the loss of her unborn child.  Chuat and Reymond compound the inherent failings in the narrative by resorting to the kind of self-serving dialogue which even today’s TV soap writers tend to avoid.  Fortunately, such is the quality of the performance from the two leads - Florence Loiret Caille deserves as much credit as Bouquet for her sensitive portrayal of the inwardly tormented Rose - that the deficiencies in the screenwriting are tolerable, if not totally forgiven.   Chuat and Reymond’s direction is equally easy to fault but shows more promise than their writing.  For all it failings La Petite chamber is a film that is easy to engage with, one that broaches some delicate issues with compassion laced with honest brutality.

© James Travers 2011

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