Comme un avion (2002)
Directed by Marie-France Pisier

Film Review

In this, her second full-length film as a director, Marie-France Pisier tries to portray the complexities of an estranged family relationship but ends up bewildering her audience with an abstract, aimless mishmash of vague meditations on contemporary life.  Pisier goes some way to forging a new cinematic style but is woefully let down by her script, her editing and some ineffective acting.  This may have worked as a short film, but as a 100 minute drama, it poses something of an ordeal for the most indulgent of cinema audiences.  Not surprisingly, the only character to hold any fascination for the spectator is that portrayed by Pisier herself, amply demonstrating that her talent as an actress far surpasses her skill as a director.

Film Synopsis

Lola Forestier is a 23-year-old law student who lives in Paris.  Home for her is a studio flat which is situated just beneath the small apartment where her mother Claire lives with her 15-year-old brother.   At the moment, her mother is away from home, making a tour of the whole of Italy.  When the mood suits her, Claire sends postcards to her children, to let them know she is still alive.  It is left to Lola to keep an eye on her sensitive brother, who is having a difficult time at the moment coping with the upsets of adolescence.  As she struggles to complete her thesis, she finds herself part-time work as an assistant to a nursery gardener.  Lola is growing to like this new life, with all of its challenges and responsibilities, but just when she is getting into some kind of routine her mother suddenly shows up unexpectedly.  It is immediately apparent to Lola that something is seriously wrong...