Louise... l’insoumise (1985) - film review

A family of Tunisian Jews settles in a suburb of Paris in the early 1960s.  The mother, Edith, disciplines her children with an iron hand, but her daughter Louise is becoming increasingly rebellious.  Things come to a head when Louise is invited to a school friend’s birthday party on a Saturday afternoon…

This noteworthy first film from director Charlotte Silvera explores not just the problem of the generation gap (a recurring theme in French cinema) but also issues as complex as racial integration and self-imposed social isolation.  Filmed with a low-key dramatic style which gives it the feel of a true-life documentary, Louise... l’insoumise succeeds mainly on the strength of the convincing performances from its cast of child actors.  Whilst some of the film’s political messages feel a little contrived and unnecessarily shoehorned into the picture (particularly the repeated references to the Algerian situation), the central thrust of the narrative – Louise’s overwhelming desire to escape – is masterfully realised.  Similarities with François Truffaut’s Les 400 coups (1959) are apparent – both films deal sensitively with a headstrong adolescent who rebels against an oppressive family background.  Whilst Silvera’s film is less satisfying artistically and emotionally, it has the added poignancy of a domestic situation that was much harsher than Truffaut, indeed most of us, could ever have known.

© James Travers 2004

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