Film Review
There's a distinctly Hitchcockian feel to Nicole Garcia's latest
directorial offering, not least because the plot borrows freely from
Hitchcock's chef d'oeuvre
Vertigo (1958). In common
with much of Garcia's previous work,
Un
balcon sur la mer revolves around a quest for identity by a male
protagonist who is far more fragile and unsure of himself that he first
appears. Garcia's best film since
Place Vendôme (1998), it
is an elegantly crafted piece which makes effective use of flashbacks
to give an unsettling edge to its narrative (reminding us how flawed a
witness our memory can be) but it is weakened by a script that lacks
depth and prevents us from getting under the skin of the central
protagonist, despite a masterful performance from Jean Dujardin.
When he made this film, Dujardin was better known as comedic actor,
having established himself in a series of popular French comedies that
include
Brice de Nice (2005),
OSS 117: Le Caire nid d'espions
(2006) and
99 francs (2007). In
Un balcon sur la mer, he takes on
a demanding dramatic role, and acquits himself admirably with a
performance that is as nuanced as it is poignant. Here he
is partnered by a comparable talent, the versatile Marie-Josée
Croze, who is well-suited to play the femme fatale dual role who
remains throughout the film an unresolved enigma, reminiscent of Kim
Novak's portrayal in
Vertigo.
Alas, Sandrine Kiberlain and Michel Aumont are completely wasted in
their supporting roles, both doing their best with hopelessly
underwritten stereotypical characters. Claudia Cardinale is
better served (who better to play Dujardin's mother?) and shows that
she has lost none of her capacity to steal a scene with her lethal
charm.
Un balcon sur la mer is a
compelling and stylish example of the French sentimental thriller, a
film that allows its director to reconnect with her own associations
with Algeria, specifically Oran, the town where she spent her childhood
and for which she undoubtedly has fond memories. If it fails to
be entirely convincing, that is more down to Garcia's tendency to
distance herself from her characters rather than fully engaging with
them and expose the depth of pain beneath the surface. Jean
Dujardin's presence gives the film the dramatic intensity and coherence
that Garcia's last few films have lacked, and also reveals an actor who
has a far greater range and potential than we might have
supposed. You might even think he would one day win an Oscar...
© James Travers 2013
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Next Nicole Garcia film:
Un beau dimanche (2014)
Film Synopsis
Marc Palestro leads an idyllic life in Aix-en-Provence in the sunny south
of France. A 40-something estate agent, he has a beautiful house and
an even more beautiful family. Things have turned out well for him.
One day, he gets a shock when he meets a woman, Marie-Jeanne, who is worryingly
familiar. The stranger appears not to recognise him, and yet Marc is
convinced that she is Cathy, the girl he was once passionately in love with
when he was living un Algeria just before that country gained its independence.
He was just twelve at the time, but ever since Cathy's face has haunted him.
And now here she is, a fully grown woman - surely this is Cathy? Marie-Jeanne
is not immune to Marc's seductive charms and the two spend a night together.
The next morning, the estate agent wakes up to find that his dream woman
has gone away without leaving so much as a farewell note. Anxious to
discover what has become of her, he hastily sets about trying to find her.
As he does so, Marc becomes increasingly uncertain over the woman's identity.
If she isn't Cathy, then who could she be...?
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.