To something, misfortune is good, if we are to believe the saying. This is certainly true for Arnaud Desplechin, who, despite this damn pandemic that never ends, found a way to shoot not one, but two of his best films: Deceptiona loose adaptation of the novel of the same name by Philip Roth, and Siblingin which he revisits the characters of his masterpiece (yes, yes) A Christmas tale. Distinct in many respects, these two feature films nevertheless constitute a perfect double bill.
For the record, Deception was an old project that remained unfinished because we didn’t know which end to take. But now with the containment linked to the COVID came the illumination as to how to shoot this camera in love.
Starring Denis Podalydès (suave), as an American writer in London, and Léa Seydoux (divine), as a mysterious Englishwoman who has a passionate adulterous affair with him, Deception may seem to stand apart in the filmography of the French filmmaker.
Indeed, although Desplechin’s cinema always exudes a literalness and discreet dreamlike accents that distance him from a realistic categorization, Deception ventures squarely into artificiality: preserving the original nationalities and names of cities despite an obviously French distribution and context, is part of this desire.
As the filmmaker recently confided to us: “I wanted it to be like a fairy tale. The characters exchange words as they exchange kisses. […] We used all the artifices of cinema to show that each moment of this love story is precious, unique, sacred, singular, magical. We wanted to enchant life. »
To achieve this, Desplechin called on cinematographer Yorick Le Saux for the first time, an ace at forging such atmospheres, as evidenced by his collaborations with François Ozon (Vase) and Olivier Assayas (personal shopper).
Thus he comes to the action of suddenly transporting himself from the writer’s office to a theater rehearsal room, among other “unreal” places opening the camera while respecting the spirit of it. We also note this surreal sequence full of self-mockery and self-criticism where the protagonist, named Philip, is on trial for misogyny – an accusation often made against Philip Roth.
The result is a long amorous dialogue which, rather than interrupting itself when Philip discusses with Rosalie, a sick ex-lover (Emmanuelle Devos, wonderful), or with his suspicious wife (Anouk Grimberg, poignant), follows its course in turn. sensual, funny, melancholy…
Far from praising Philip, Desplechin exposes the flaws of a character who, in the long term, will always prefer to take refuge in his fictions since he controls there, unlike in real life, characters and situations.
The origins of hate
In contrast to Deception, Sibling is akin to a hateful dialogue, at least initially, with on one side Louis (Melvil Poupaud, all in nuances), writer – another, well – celebrated, and on the other, Alice (Marion Cotillard, royal) , a beloved actress. However, for years, Alice has hated Louis for reasons that she refuses to reveal, letting the worst innuendos float, from unspoken to equivocal silences.
This feud formed one of the main sub-plots, and enigmas, ofA Christmas tale. In Sibling, the performers have changed, some first names as well, but the family dynamics and conflicts have remained. This film picks up more or less where its predecessor left off, except that the situation has gone haywire. Louis, who once made fun of his sister’s attitude with detachment, no longer hears laughing: his son is dead, and he now abhors Alice.
Reunited by a twist of fate, brother and sister will be forced to burst the abscess.
Visually very close toA Christmas tale and of more “Desplechin” style than is Deception (director of photography Irina Lubtchansky has collaborated with the filmmaker on several films, including The Ghosts of Ishmael and Roubaix, a light), Sibling explores with finesse, but without prevarication, the sinuosities of family relationships. The words are carefully chosen and the replies are chiselled, but what is said is sometimes very ugly, or very harsh.
Moments of sweetness only seem more beautiful.
Like Deception and of Brother and sister, Louis and Alice prove to be complementary beyond their disagreement and their differences. By reconciling, it is a part of themselves that they will recover.