Elisa, de Jean Becker

The first scene of this French drama was so upsetting, I turned it off and seriously considered not turning it back on again. Florence Thomassin smothers her young daughter with a pillow before committing suicide. Why would anyone want to watch that? I did end up turning it back on and watching the rest of it-otherwise I wouldn't be writing a review-and it got considerably better.

As you probably know, I watched Élisa because of Gérard Depardieu. I'll sit through anything to support my celebrity boyfriend. And while he didn't even come on the screen until the second hour, I was glad I got to see his performance. His character could have easily been turned into a straight villain with no redeeming qualities, but with Gérard's beautiful expressions, it's easy to root for him, even after a very unlikable entrance scene. He puts such thoughtfulness into the role, he actually improves the script without changing a word. Why is he always so great?

The main character, Vanessa Paradis, shows a raw hunger for life, revenge, and love that most of the time makes her incredibly unlikable. However, whether it's her charming beauty or the reminder that she is very young and is only despicable because that's the only way she knows how to survive, the audience can't help but hope she gets her act together. She's spent her entire life without a mother and hating an absent father, scamming and stealing with her friends, Clotilde Courau and Sekkou Sall. Her actions are truly awful, but when she finally decides to track down her dad and get some answers, the audience sees she's trying to create a better life.

If you liked Obsession, check out this film. That one was a thriller and this one is more of an indie drama, but they're similar enough that you'll probably like both.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to upsetting scenes involving children, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

I don't think Jean Becker is a very interesting director; the two films I have seen--L'Été meurtrier and this one--don't show any great stylistic ability. You remember L'Été for Adjani's performance as an avenging angel, and Vanessa Paradis does the same thing here: she's a one-woman wrecking crew taking on greedy grandparents, the lesbian director of her orphanage, men looking for sex, in fact anybody who gets in her way.

The film stands or falls on the power and charisma of its star, and Vanessa Paradis doesn't disappoint. She is amazingly at ease in front of the camera, as befits a Lancôme model who also started singing at 14. No matter how tawdry the script gets--and that's plenty at times--she sails right through it. She even holds her own with Depardieu, the icon of French film.

after waiting days to see this film, because i live in the US, i finally got it in the mail. and let me tell you, i was very impressed. vanessa paradis, (being my favorite singer and actress) was simply lovely. i've never seen her in a better role (besides her stunning role in 1999's "la fille sur le pont/girl on the bridge")

this film had so many emotions in it. revenge, love, hate, friendship. it was all tied in it throughout the movie. the soundtrack was absolutely superb, and gerard depardieu's performance was excellent, as always. also, (i don't remember her name) the actress who played solange was very good as well. if you want to see a beautifully-crafted french film, see this one. US viewers will have to purchase it from either ebay or from a UK website (you'll have to get it transferred into NTSC format if you wish to choose that option) i just got mine off of ebay already subtitled, and in the correct format. i'm telling you, you will not be dissapointed!

The whole film took me into a carousel of emotions: anger, longing for the mother, the sense of betrayal. Marie (Vanessa Paradis took me by surprise in a swirl. Gerard Depardieu is a great actor who's not afraid to try all sorts of roles, only they show the true human nature. This film moved me. very deep and although I did not have much of respect for Vanessa, in this film she proved herself to be a good actress. I got very moved by two songs and I've been surfing on the film site and others in order to find them. I just saw the film recently on YV and did not have the time to register the title and the artists. The first song is showing for a very short while 2 musicians and a little girl in the metro, starting to sing a wonderful (Romenian?)song. The second is when Depardieu is on the beach, at night, drinking down his pain, while the music is crying on the tape-recorder he brought with him. An italian song, I should think. Please, help me to find the right songs and their interpreters. you'll make me very happy. I was so moved. I'd love to know if the music is on Cd or if the artists have their respective CD

Friendly greetings from Claudine