Un mauvais fils (1980) - film review

Having spent five years in an American prison for drugs dealing, Bruno Calgagni returns to France to make a fresh start.  He meets up with his father, a foreman on a building site, and learns that his mother died whilst he was in jail.  The initially warm reunion of father and son quickly turns sour, and Bruno walks out on his father when he discovers he has a secret mistress.  Having worked for a while as a manual labourer, Bruno starts a job in a bookshop, where he meets Catherine, also an ex-drug addict.  They have a love affair and the future looks bright for both of them.  But all too soon the pressures of daily life become too much to bear, and drugs seem to offer an easy escape...

In Un mauvais fils, director Claude Sautet explores two of his favourite themes, which predominate in most – if not all – of his films.  The first is the conflict between different generations, in this case between a father and son – a conflict which arises from what appear to be, initially, insurmountable barriers based on individual experiences, innate prejudices and flawed moral judgements.  In most cases, the barriers are ultimately broken down and the two parties are brought together, although the subtle process by which this happens is hard to define and forms part of the magic that is Sautet’s cinema.

The second recurring theme is one which Sautet shares with many of his French New Wave contemporaries, notably François Truffaut, namely the complex relationship between men and women, explored with great insight, intimacy and compassion.  The lovers in Sautet’s films often share a single tragic flaw which initially brings them together but ultimately drives them apart.  Un mauvais fils is perhaps the most obvious example of this, where two ex-drug addicts, Catherine and Bruno, form an immediate bond because of their past experiences, but in the end it is these experiences which make it increasingly difficult to sustain their relationship.  The only way such a relationship can succeed is by both parties abandoning their past and committing themselves to a totally new future – a feat which not all of Sautet’s characters are capable of doing.  In Un mauvais fils, the spectator has no idea how the Catherine and Bruno will end up until the very last camera shot: the dividing line between tragedy and a happy ending is very fine indeed.

Un mauvais fils epitomises the kind of gentle film drama for which French cinema is renowned.  Its unhurried pace and simple narrative makes it easy for the spectator to follow what is happening and form a close bond with all of the main characters, each of whom is played to perfection by an exceptionally talented cast.  Patrick Dewaere reprises a role very similar to his earlier creations (notably his role in F... comme Fairbanks), but with far greater subtlety and humanity, making this perhaps his most noteworthy screen appearance.  Yves Robert and Brigitte Fossey also turn in fine performances as Dewaere’s on-screen father and lover respectively.  The constantly shifting relationship between these three characters is compelling in its naturalism and dramatic intensity, and demonstrates yet again Sautet’s genius for depicting lifelike relationships within an intelligent and interesting drama.

© James Travers 2002

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