Her name is Jackie, and his name is Clothaire. She lives in a clean house, and he, in a dilapidated public housing tower; she, a good student, and he, a little thug. He falls for his foolproof repartee, she guesses the sensitivity he hides behind his two-faced machismo. In this port city in the north of France, during the years 1980-1990, their history will experience many upheavals. Carried by incendiary performances by Adèle Exarchopoulos and François Civil, phew lovea loving fresco full of noise, or finally music, fury and above all, panache took the Cannes competition by storm on Thursday.
A production with a budget that is presumed to be considerable, given what is on the screen, this second solo feature film by Gilles Lellouche has been in the works since… 2013. In the meantime, the actor-director has directed the comedy drama The big batha huge surprise success in France.
Loosely adapted from a novel by Neville Thompson set in Dublin, phew love was co-written by Lellouche and Audrey Diwan, the film’s award-winning writer-director The eventaccording to the story by Annie Ernaux.
In the part combined with the past of this love which refuses to die in the present, Mallory Wanecque and Malik Frikah shine as adolescent versions of Jackie and Clothaire.
Purposely peppered with idyllic compositions and images from Epinal (zoom in on lovers lost in the middle of a flowery meadow, swimming in a flooded ravine, motorcycle ride where bodies timidly brush against each other, etc.), this part maintains a dazzling aesthetic, with vibrant colors enhanced by a warm golden filter.
But… from criminal charges, Clothaire allows himself to be seduced by local organized crime. An eclipse marks a transition literally and figuratively: after solar carelessness, room for lunar disturbances. From now on, Clothaire is especially associated with the night… The palette becomes heavy…
A twist of fate, forced separation… The years that pass… Adèle Exarchopoulos (I will always see your faces, Passages) and François Civil (The three Musketeers) take over with adult characters stuck in the past. She has become numb in a toxic marriage, he wants to settle scores with former associates…
Under influence
Throughout, the intimate rubs shoulders with the epic. In more than ten years of development, we can well imagine that Lellouche had plenty of time to think about and plan its production.
Which staging turns out to be flamboyant, even baroque, sometimes bordering on flashy, but full of discoveries and daring. Tributes also to Martin Scorsese (Mean Streets And Goodfellas/The Freedmenamong others), Brian De Palma (Carlito’s Way/Carlito’s way), John Carpenter (Christinain images and music), Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) and of course, to Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, their West Side Storyitself inspired by Romeo and Julietbeing cited implicitly then explicitly…
The result of all these assumed influences is a maximalist, paroxysmal visual approach, in almost every shot. This bias could have ensured that form prevailed over substance. However, this exaggerated style proves to be in tune with the feelings depicted on screen. And then, a film which offers an interlude that resembles Footloose clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously…
Rest, phew lovelike its model West Side Storyis more myth and archetype than reality.
At times, it is true, the pompous treatment threatens to turn pompous. On these occasions, however, Lellouche manages to maintain an empathetic focus on his two protagonists, keeping us attentive and captivated.
Word of Jackie
Regarding the protagonists, we feared for a time that Adèle Exarchopoulos’ Jackie would lose her powerful personality. During several scenes, this seems to be the case, but here the young woman, during a baroque reunion with Clothaire, tells the latter – and therefore to us – the depths of her thoughts.
A thought which, suddenly, reconfigures perceptions and previous events… A strong monologue (a contribution from Audrey Diwan?).
At nearly three hours, the film stretches into the third act, but again, Jackie hasn’t said her last word — literally. Once again, what she says redefines the subject of the film by dispelling any misunderstanding as to its message.
A simple message, but which, History teaches us, must be constantly repeated. Namely that in this world, only love counts. That, and that it’s better to use your vocabulary, rather than your fists. Although in this matter, the film shows that if Clothaire learns to become a little more like Jackie, the opposite is also true.
In short, this is a “ French Side Story » tonic, which also seduces by its refusal of the traditional tragic posture.
François Lévesque is in Cannes at the invitation of the Festival and thanks to the support of Telefilm Canada.