Film Review
The central theme of
L'homme qui
voulait vivre sa vie is a depressingly familiar one. It is
essentially about a man, in his mid to late thirties, who has
everything a man could want (including presumably a Gillette razor) and
then runs up against a mid-life crisis which soon sends him careering
out of control. This could be the résumé for about
a hundred French films made over the past decade but somehow this one
stands out from the crowd. What makes this film so special?. Well, it is
partly the story, an inspired and
compelling adaptation of Douglas Kennedy's bestselling novel
The Big Picture, which
is essentially just a modern re-working of
Patricia Highsmith's
The Talented Mr. Ripley.
But mainly it is the authenticity that the lead actor Romain Duris invests in his portrayal
of the main character, supplemented by Eric Lartigau's perfectly
judged direction, that keeps us hooked, right from the
unpromising here-we-go-again opening to its ludicrously far-fetched
conclusion.
L'homme qui voulait vivre sa vie
makes a startling contrast with Eric Lartigau's previous films, three
fairly lightweight but enjoyable comedies which include the
off-the-wall spoof thriller
Mais qui a tué Pamela Rose?
(2003) featuring the popular comedy duo Kad Merad and Olivier
Baroux. Lartigau's fourth film is an altogether more mature and
considered film than what went before, not only far darker in tone, but
also directed with much more subtlety and restraint. Instead of
bombarding us with puerile sight gags and pointless special effects,
Lartigau gently lures us into the troubled inner world of the
protagonist and delivers a far more rewarding viewing experience, an
unsettling melange of existential thriller and road movie. The
plot may be peppered with troublesome (and often unnecessary) contrivances, but
once we get past these the scenario is one that we can all engage with,
the story of a man who is compelled to reboot his life after arriving
at that inescapable mid-life cul-de-sac.
Kennedy's page-turner of a story and Lartigau's visualisation of it are
certainly major plus points, but what most sells the film is the
gripping central performance from Romain Duris, which is easily
among his best. Duris hasn't been this good since his acclaimed
portrayal in Jacques Audiard's
De battre mon coeur s'est
arrêté (2005) and brings precisely the same
intensity, humanity and enigmatic charm to this film. What the
screenwriters left out, Duris fills in with his expressive looks and
gestures, which somehow reveal far more about his character than his
dialogue. You'd almost think that Douglas Kennedy had Romain
Duris in mind when he conceived the character of Ben Bradford (renamed
Paul Exben for the film), so perfectly does the actor inhabit the role
and make his journey of retreat and renewal so harrowingly
believable. The supporting cast is also pretty impressive
(Catherine Deneuve and Niels Arestrup bring a welcome touch of
gravitas and class to the proceedings), but this is without doubt
Duris's film and probably the highpoint of his career to date.
© James Travers 2011
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Next Eric Lartigau film:
Les Infidèles (2012)
Film Synopsis
Paul Exben is a successful lawyer who has everything a man could want
to be happy, including a beautiful and adoring wife, and two angelic
children. But Paul isn't happy. He is uneasy, irritable,
suspicious that his wife Sarah might be having an affair with another
man. He is sent over the edge when he learns that Sarah has
indeed been cheating on him with a local photographer. In a
moment of madness, Paul unintentionally kills his wife's lover.
What should he do? Hand himself over to the authorities and take
what is due to him? No, he has a better idea. He will steal
the dead man's identity and begin a new life, the life he has always
dreamed of...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.