Le Derrière (1999)
Directed by Valérie Lemercier

Comedy / Drama
aka: From Behind

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Le Derriere (1999)
After having established herself as a popular and talented actress (probably best known for her role in the 1993 film Les Visiteurs) Valérie Lemercier turned to directing with this entertaining light comedy, in which she also, as you might expect, takes the lead role. It is a film in the 'quest' line in which the heroine Frédérique's search for her missing father turns into a search for her own identity. In her dual quest,  Frédérique must undergo a frantic series of changes of identity, alternating between an attractive young woman and a camp young man, in her attempt to please her father and her boyfriend.

Le Derrière intelligently reveals the folly of traditional prejudices towards gay men, and also towards women, and manages to end with a convincing albeit trite finale (Frédérique's own show-stopping 'coming-out' session) which basically says people should always be what they are and not try to be something they are not. It's a pretty hackneyed punchline, but Lemercier just about gets away with it.

Although this is a fair directoral debut for Lemercier, the film is not without its faults.  The comedy, whilst natural and quite amusing in places, often feels contrived and stale.  Some of the stereotypes are just a little too familiar and some of the jokes too hackneyed (the socks down the underpants gag, for example).  Claude Rich and Dieudonné (a popular comic performer who later fell from grace on account of his outspoken racial views) make the unlikeliest couple imaginable but their sympathetic performances help to compensate for the abundant script shortcomings. Le Derrière is somewhat let down by its apparent lack of direction and a weak ending but, for all that, it makes an entertaining divertissement. Lemercier would achieve better results with her next directorial offering, Palais royal! (2005).
© James Travers 2001
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Valérie Lemercier film:
Palais royal! (2005)

Film Synopsis

After the death of her mother, Frédérique resolves to find her father, whom she has never met.  She discovers the identity of her father on the back of an old photograph and sets out for Paris where he now lives.  She is staying with some gay friends when she is persuaded to dress up as a gay man so that she can accompany them to a gay club. Frédérique later uses the same disguise when she discovers that her father is gay and is living with a younger, black man, hoping that her father will be more likely to accept a lost gay son than a lost straight daughter.  To complicate matters, Frédérique is simultaneously dating her boyfriend...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Valérie Lemercier
  • Script: Aude Lemercier, Valérie Lemercier
  • Cinematographer: Patrick Blossier
  • Music: Grégori Czerkinsky
  • Cast: Valérie Lemercier (Frédérique), Claude Rich (Pierre Arroux), Dieudonné (Francis), Marthe Keller (Christina), Patrick Catalifo (Jean-François), Didier Brengarth (Marc), Franck de la Personne (Georgette), Amira Casar (Anne-Laure), Didier Bénureau (Monsieur Mulot), Alain Doutey (Le patient français), Laurent Spielvogel (Patrick), Patrick Zard (Philippe), Edward Arckless (Le prof de danse), Monique Aussudre (La mère de Frédérique), François Baudot (Jacques), Laurent Benoît (L'homme du vernissage), Jean-Yves Bouvier (Michel), Denis Braccini (Le cuirman du Victory), Joseph Carle (Germain), Fabienne Chaudat (Josy)
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 102 min
  • Aka: From Behind

The very best American film comedies
sb-img-18
American film comedy had its heyday in the 1920s and '30s, but it remains an important genre and has given American cinema some of its enduring classics.
The best French films of 2018
sb-img-27
Our round-up of the best French films released in 2018.
The very best fantasy films in French cinema
sb-img-30
Whilst the horror genre is under-represented in French cinema, there are still a fair number of weird and wonderful forays into the realms of fantasy.
The very best of the French New Wave
sb-img-14
A wave of fresh talent in the late 1950s, early 1960s brought about a dramatic renaissance in French cinema, placing the auteur at the core of France's 7th art.
Continental Films, quality cinema under the Nazi Occupation
sb-img-5
At the time of the Nazi Occupation of France during WWII, the German-run company Continental produced some of the finest films made in France in the 1940s.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright