Film Review
"The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy
Piety nor Wit, Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line..." Well,
that was before they invented Tipp-Ex. What if you could live
your life again: would it be possible to change anything, or are we
condemned to follow exactly the same path? This is the
existential jumping off point for Noémie Lvovsky's latest
crowdpleasing comedy-drama, a time-reversing entertainment that feels
uncannily like a Proustian reinterpretation of Francis Ford Coppola's
Peggy Sue got married (1986) -
À la recherche du temps perdu,
the teen comedy version.
Lvovsky is one of a depressingly small minority of talented auteur
filmmakers who have acquired a mainstream following in France.
She made her feature debut as a director with
Oublie-moi (1994) and has since
pursued a successful parallel career as an actress and filmmaker.
Camille Redouble (a.k.a.
Camille Rewinds) is her fifth
full-length film, and the first in which she appears in front of the
camera, in the lead role, playing both the middle-aged and teenage
version of the same character. Lvovsky not only has a natural
flair for comedy (as a writer, director and actress), she also has a
talent for observation and a well-developed understanding of human
nature, so her films are remarkably true to life and emotionally
engaging, as well as effortlessly amusing.
Camille Redouble is no exception -
a more than worthy follow-up to her last film,
Faut que ça danse!, a
bitter-sweet study in resisting the ravages of time.
Camille Redouble derives much
of its humour from the fact that its heroine is transported back to her
teenage past (in the hideously tasteless 1980s) as her 40-year-old
self. No one seems to notice this in the film, and this
discrepancy allows for some great comedy. More impressive,
however, are the film's more melancholic asides, which Lvovsky manages
to fit in effortlessly between the comic excursions. Camille's
attempts to alter her past and sidestep future heartache become
increasingly poignant, particularly when she tries to save her mother
from an early death. If the film tells us anything it is that we
can never change out past; all we can do is view it from a slightly
different perspective, to see things in perhaps a more positive
light. Omar Khayyám had the right idea but what he missed
was the subjective angle and the capacity for the human mind
to reinterpret the past.
Once again, Noémie Lvovsky assembles a supremely talented cast
which more than does justice to her intelligent screenplay. Samir
Guesmi, an increasingly sought after actor, is perfect for the role of
Lvovsky's on-screen lover, and does a slightly better job of
delineating his (gauche) younger self from his (odious) older self than
his co-star. Rising star Judith Chemla is an absolute delight as
Lvovsky's outgoing teen school chum whilst Yolande Moreau is an instant
attention grabber as Camille's ill-fated mum. Denis
Podalydès, a welcome addition to any castlist, makes the most of
his relatively minor role and Jean-Pierre Léaud momentarily
steals the film (as only he can) in a cameo appearance as a mysterious
clockmaker with a sideline in sententious philosophising - how
appropriate that he, the actor who inspires so many fond memories, should
play the role of Proust's madeleine. Wise and witty,
Camille Redouble is one of the most
satisfying of Noémie Lvovsky's films so far, a meditation on the
metaphysical that is guaranteed to make you laugh.
© James Travers 2012
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Camille, a 40-something actress, gets an unexpected shock when she returns
home one day to find her husband Eric packing his bags. After twenty
years of married life he has decided to leave her and move in with a woman
half her age. Devastated by this rejection, Camille gladly accepts
an offer from her friend Josepha to join her in a New Year's Eve booze up.
The abandoned woman is soon too drunk to care about anything and on the stroke
of midnight she is happily away in the Land of Nod.
When Camille comes to her senses she is surprised to find that she is no
longer forty but sweet sixteen - and reliving her adolescence all over again.
She meets a boy of her own age called Eric and it seems that her whole life
is repeating itself, leading no doubt to the same miserable outcome twenty
years hence. Should Camille allow this to happen, or should she resist
and force herself to go down a different path, one that might have a much
happier ending? As she quickly discovers, choosing your destiny isn't
as straightforward as it might seem...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.