Lise et André is a French film first released in 2000, directed by Denis Dercourt.  The film stars Isabelle Candelier, Michel Duchaussoy, Aïssa Maïga and Augustin Bartholomé.  It has also been released under the title: Lise and Andre.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


Lise, a prostitute and single mother, is devastated when her young son, Bastien, is knocked down in a car accident.  As her son lies in a coma, she turns to a priest, André, but he, a frail old man who is losing his faith, has nothing to offer her.  When she learns about a miracle in which the Virgin Mary appeared above a field in a rural part of France, she decides to undertake a pilgrimage to the same field, believing this act will save her son.  André is reluctant to accompany Lise but she finds a way of persuading him...

The power of faith is the subject of Denis Dercourt’s second full-length film, an unusual variant on the road movie theme involving a priest and a prostitute.   In her first leading film role, Isabelle Candelier stars as a young mother who, to save her son’s life, rediscovers her faith and helps a disillusioned old priest to rediscover his own.  The part of the priest is played with great humanity and conviction by Michel Duchaussoy, a familiar figure in French cinema since the 1960s.

Although the film is well photographed and generally well scripted, it doesn’t really add up to much, and indeed some of the plot developments (such as the mother trying to abduct the priest) are faintly ludicrous.   Candelier’s performance also lacks conviction, to the extent that it is very hard to sympathise with her character.  The main difficulty with the film is that the script fails to give an adequate explanation of the two principal characters.  Rather than explain their behaviour and their past, it merely raises more questions as the film progresses, creating the impression that this is a superficial work.

© James Travers 2003

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