Ouf (2013)
Directed by Yann Coridian

Film Review

For his debut feature director Yann Coridian broaches one of the thorniest subjects of all, mental illness.  His film is not, as you might reasonably expect, a gruelling realist drama charged with human suffering but a downbeat romantic comedy, adopting a matter-of-fact approach that is more in keeping with the prevalence of depression in our society.   Ably supported by his talented co-screenwriter Sophie Fillières, Coridian tackles his subject matter with the seriousness it merits, without succumbing to crude caricature and facile prejudice.  Ouf is an amiable, albeit slightly uneven first film which offers a totally convincing portrait of a middle-aged man who has to fight not only his depression but also the misconceptions of others in his quest for personal happiness.

Eric Elmosnino is a perfect casting choice for the central character, François, a 40-something outsider who, thanks to his depression, inhabits a limbo-like world in which his only compass is his certainty in the love he has for a woman, ably played by Sophie Quinton.  Through a remarkably astute performance, Elmosnino not only conveys the excruciating sense of alienation of someone in his character's predicament, but also his emotional fragility and yearning for acceptance.  The casting of one-time Charlot Luis Rego in the role of his father is fortuitous - the physical resemblance of the two actors is so striking you'd swear they are blood relations.  Another comedy legend, Anémone, puts in an all too brief appearance, although the most visible female presence is that of Italian diva Valeria Golino, the perfect counterpoint to Elmosnino's introverted solemnity.

Coridian's mise-en-scène may lack the inspired touch but it is suitably restrained for a an unpretentious little comedy-drama of this kind.  Whilst the narrative feels a little forced and aimless in the film's first half things improve markedly in the second, where the mood of the piece takes on a more melancholic and lyrical feel.  The scenes set within a psychiatric institution have a chilling reality to them, a pointed reminder of society's failure to comprehend and accept mental illness.  Ouf has many of the flaws you would expect for a first feature, yet it resonates with truth and the director deserves some credit for tackling a subject as problematic and commercially unattractive with such delicate restraint and honesty.

Film Synopsis

François is 41 and coping badly with the onset of midlife blues.  There seems to be no reason for his apparent mental instability.  He has a good job, a comfortable home, a wonderful wife and two children he adores.  What more could he possibly want?  François may appear settled and content with his domestic and professional life, but increasingly he appears incapable of holding his world together.  One day, he loses control completely and the next thing he knows he is being admitted to a psychiatric hospital.  When he is discharged, apparently a sane individual, he finds that his old life has been taken from him.  His wife Anna will have nothing more to do with him.

Naturally, François does what anyone would do in his position, which is to turn to his parents and best friend for moral support.  The problem is that his father still treats him like a child and his mother is far too busy with her work as a psychoanalyst to give him the attention he needs.  And his best friend as her own problems to deal with.  François realises that this is one battle he is going to have to fight on his own.  So, without delay, he devotes himself to the biggest challenge of his life - winning back the wife he knows he cannot live without...