Michou d'Auber (2007)
Directed by Thomas Gilou

Film Review

With its poignant story about a young Moslem boy gaining the acceptance and love of his French foster family in the early 1960s, Michou d'Auber ought to be a sure-fire hit that should have no difficulty moving its audience to tears.  Promising though the premise is, writer-director Thomas Gilou struggles to make much of it and a somewhat strained sentimental melodrama is the best he is able to come up with, a surprising let down after his previous successes Rai (1995) and La vérité si je mens! 2 (2001). Gilou is clearly more at home in comedy - drama is definitely not his forte if this mushy mess of tired clichés is anything to go by.

To be fair, Gilou's mediocre script and uninspired direction are only part of the film's failings. A large share of the blame for why the film singularly fails to engage is down to its lead actor Gérard Depardieu, who seems to be incapable of making anything of his character and just muddles through the film without any obvious sign of commitment. 'Is this the actor who once impressed us in films such as Loulou Cyrano de Bergerac?' you ask yourself, before concluding that this must be his talentless twin brother. Depardieu's performance would be inadequate even in a third rate children's television drama. The same can be said of just about all of the other cast members - even Nathalie Baye (an actress who is usually beyond reproach) struggles to make her character convincing.

Through a combination of lousy acting and half-hearted efforts on both the screenwriting and directing fronts, Michou d'Auber manages to be a nauseating turn-off that positively revels in its sugar-coated schmaltz and ill-judged histrionics, the poorest substitute for real emotion.  With its two hour run time, the film is an ordeal and a half to sit through - and it is hardly worth the effort.

Film Synopsis

France, 1960.  When his mother falls seriously ill, nine-year-old Messaoud proves to be too much of a burden for his father.  He is placed with a foster family and renamed Michou by his foster mother Gisèle, who is afraid of what people in her village, including her husband, a retired soldier, may think.  This is not a good time to have North African ancestry - thanks to the events taking place in Algeria.  Gisèle's deception works for a time and she is delighted when her husband Georges treats Michou as though he were his own son.   But then the truth is revealed...