Le Candidat (2007) - film review

On the eve of a presidential election, Michel Dedieu is called upon to replace his party leader.  As an army of political advisors close in on him, Dedieu struggles to create a positive image for himself, ahead of a crucial televised debate with his opponent...

For his directorial debut, Niels Arestrup could hardly have chosen a more challenging subject – a documentary-style drama which lifts the lid on modern day political manoeuvring.   Whilst it’s hard not to be impressed by the 58-year old actor’s pluck, the result of this daring venture into the unknown does leave something to be desired.  It’s a film that somehow manages to feel both cerebral and vacuous, yet also strangely compelling.

On the plus side, the film does evoke the murky shadow-world of Machiavellian intrigue which now permeates the Western political system, like a toxic all-corrupting miasma.  Long gone are the days of conviction politics, just causes and any notion of having a robust political agenda based upon a sound moral or intellectual basis.  Today’s politics is all about image, sound bites, filling your pockets with backhanders, slinging mud at the opposition and massaging the facts to maximise your own personal popularity, whilst covering your own rear end as effectively as possible when the flack comes your way. It’s a game of smoke and mirrors, with one single objective – to allow a coterie of vain, self-obsessed mediocrities to grasp the reins of power, to the detriment of us all.

Arestrup’s scathing portrayal of today’s shallow realpolitik and its dangerous high priests is spot on.  The problem, however, is that the film doesn’t seem to have any real substance.   The characters are ill-defined sketches, the narrative thread virtually non-existent, there’s no real momentum.  Arestrup is far more preoccupied with style than content, and the film feels cold and static.  Maybe this was intentional – to reflect the utter sham that modern politics has become.  Unfortunately, the abstract nature of the drama and the lack of substance make it difficult for a spectator to be greatly enthused by the film, which is a great shame because its central premise is one that has great potential as a piece of socially relevant drama.

© James Travers 2008

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