Le Fils préféré (1994) - film review

When Jean-Paul, a hotel manager in Nice, runs into debt, he turns to his two brothers, Francis and Philippe, whom he hasn’t communicated with for years.  Both brothers have their reasons for not lending Jean-Paul the 300 thousand francs he needs to pay off the loan-sharks.   Philippe hasn’t forgiven Jean-Paul for having an affair with his wife, whilst Francis has kept away after being disowned by his father when he admitted he was homosexual.  Desperate to raise the money, Jean-Paul takes out a life assurance policy on his father and has the opportunity to kill his father.  At the last moment, he has a change of heart, but his father then disappears.  Anxious to heal the wounds of the past, Jean-Paul turns to his two brothers to try to find their missing father...

This sombre work provided ample opportunity for director Nicole Garcia to explore the psychology of men, one of her main motivations for making the film.  Although there are some weaknesses in the scripting (some of the characterisation appearing too simplistic to be taken too seriously), the film manages to sustain its audience’s attention through a combination of glossy but solemn cinematography (a standard feature of Garcia’s films) and some commendable acting.

Gérard Lanvin gives one of his most memorable film performances to date, playing the “favourite” son of the film’s title, Jean-Paul – an intense, brooding portrayal of a man torn between his need to avoid financial ruin and his deep-seated loyalties to his family.

Slightly artificial in places, the film is at times intensely moving and provides a generally convincing depiction of how estranged male relatives behave towards one another when circumstances beyond their control force them together.

© James Travers 2001

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