Garçon stupide (2004)
Directed by Lionel Baier

Film Review

Whilst a quick resume of its plot may suggest otherwise, Garçon stupide is a serious film that broaches some worthy issues in an imaginative and thoughtful manner.  A coming of age drama like no other, it deals with a themes that are highly relevant for our time - the search for identity and self-fulfilment in a world where conformity and compartmentalisation are doing their utmost to crush individuality.

In his first full-length film, Swiss director Lionel Baier shows great flair and imagination.  He had previously made a number of documentaries and this is apparent in Garçon stupide - most noticeably in the sequences where Loïc talks to camera (addressing another character named, tellingly, Lionel, who is never seen in the film), but also in the way image is used to tell much of the story in place of dialogue or voice-over narration.  The subjective approach adopted by Baier, supported by some striking impressionistic photography, suits the subject of the film perfectly, making the experiences of its central character all the more real and immediate.

The film's lead actor Pierre Chatagny deserves a special mention.  Although he plays a character who is unsympathetic - egoistical, naïve, uneducated, hedonistic and vulgar - Chatagny has something of the irresistible likeability of a fluffy bunny rabbit or a TV weather presenter, and it is surprisingly easy for the spectator to identify with the rebellious Loïc, in spite of his failings.   Not only is Chatagny immensely photogenic (the director seems to be enraptured by the former model's physical beauty and juvenile charm), but, in his first and only film credit to date, he also shows great promise as an actor.

If Garçon stupide has a fault it is the somewhat jarring shift at roughly the film's mid-point from a rather sombre realist drama to something more akin to a dream-like fantasy.  The shift is not made explicit in the script and so it takes a while for the spectator to realise what is happening.  The point at which Loïc becomes conscious of the vacuity of his life sees him undergo a transformation, which impacts on how he sees the world around him.  In the chaos of this new awareness, he experiences a world that is part real, part fantasy - and the boundary between the two is never quite apparent.  This second part of the film is more experimental and to a degree less successful than the first, although the slight surfeit of artistic self-indulgence is easily excused by dint of the fact that the underlying themes are expressed with such sincerity and insight.

Film Synopsis

Despite his lack of education, 20-year-old Loïc is convinced that one day he will make something of his life.  In the meantime, he earns a subsistence wage in a chocolate factory and spends his evenings meeting up with older men for no-strings sex.  His only true friend is Marie, with whom he shares a small apartment in the Swiss town of Bulle.  One evening, Loïc meets up with a man he found on the internet and is surprised when, instead of rushing him back to his home for sex, he tries to engage him in a meaningful conversation.  The experience troubles Loïc and suddenly his life appears much more complicated.  He becomes fascinated by a local football player and this leads him to ponder who he is and what he wants from life...