J'embrasse pas

Free will or predestination? That is the question. In this film of André Téchiné the character of Pierre, a young lad from the country trying to make his way in Paris, certainly doesn't make life any easier for himself with the choices he makes. He spurns those who extend a helping hand, becomes a prostitute(hence the films title) and becomes involved with a female prostitute who turns out to be trouble with a capital 'T'.

Pierre is played by Manuel Blanc, here making his film debut, whose character is a mixture of juvenile self-obsession and vulnerability with a bit of obnoxiousness thrown in. He quite deservedly won a César for his performance which is a further testament to Téchiné's skill with actors. Talking of which we also have characterisations of real depth from Helene Vincent, Emmanuelle Béart and the superlative Philippe Noiret.

The subject matter of this distinctly unsettling piece is not to everyone's taste but is redeemed by Téchiné's mise-en scene, the splendid performances and excellent production values not least the score by Philippe Sarde and the muted tones of Thierry Arbogast's cinematography.

The ending here is inconclusive which some might find frustrating but then, no story really has an end and the director has left it to our imagination.

This is essentially a 'Rite of Passage' movie and one gets the impression that Nietzsche's "What does not kill you makes you stronger" will hold true for young Pierre. At one point in the film he laments: "Why am I such an idiot?" Who among us has not at some stage asked ourself the same question?!

I am unable to escape the impression that French cinema has lost its way in recent years. So many examples I see are shallow and trite. A few of the old masters are still around. Chabrol was almost back on form with "La Ceremonie" (1995) and Rohmer can generally be called upon to delight, particularly with work as agreeable as "Conte d'Hiver" (1992). But what of the younger generation? Erick Zonca's "The Dream Life of Angels" (1998) was a work of masterly perception but it seems to be a one-off. However, although not on this level the films of Andre Techine are worth exploring. I did not much care for "Les Voleurs", a conventional heist film: "The Young Reeds", although infinitely more interesting, showed some signs of strain in its struggle to focus on a wide range of characters (Techine is no Edward Yang). However of his works I have so far seen I would commend "J'embrasse pas" as a welcome ray of light in the French darkness. Although, as in Techine's other work, there is still rather too much peripheral detail that does not always illumine the situation of the central character, there is no denying that this is a masterly study of a young country innocent who comes to Paris to make a career for himself, totally unaware of his intellectual and social limitations. In Manuel Blanc's Pierre we have one of the outstanding performances of French cinema. We are able to empathise with this young man to an extraordinary extent, so much so that our gradual understanding of his shortcomings is a process almost as slow as his. When he breaks down during an unsuccessful attempt to get into a stage character he is trying to portray we feel his humiliation deeply. Although Pierre is heterosexual his adoption of the role of a rentboy after this is all part of the process of the inevitable downward spiral. That he emerges from degrading experiences unbeaten and ready to take on Paris for a second time reveals that he has gained a certain strength if only through learning to posture. Psychologically it all rings terribly true.

It's a great movie that makes you wonder about the meaning of life. Unfortunately it also tries to be arty, Richie doesn't seem to do very well because the ending turns out to be something in between a film by François Truffaut and David Lynch; this leaves us with the question, who is André Téchiné? What does he stand for? Honestly the answers are not given, but it's an interesting movie... for copycats. We've seen all this before in movies decades ago by other directors way superior to Téchiné, only better. We are left with something we will forget but it's not bad either: Béart always tends to take off her clothes in whatever movie she's in.

The release last year of a DVD 4-Pack of Téchiné films allows us to look at the early work of a prominent director. J'embrasse pas traces the progress of young Pierre from small town in the South-West of France to hospital job and acting lessons in Paris, followed by prostitution and a brutal beating by the pimp of the girl he falls for. Along the way, he meets some people who try to guide him in the right direction, principally Romain, an aging TV intellectual, and Évelyne, a fortyish spinster whose neurosis serves to scare Pierre away from her.

Psychology was never Téchiné's strong suit; you can ask "why did he do that" many times over the two hours, but the camera work is always evocative--the Bois de Boulogne never looked more attractive, whether by day or night--the locales well-chosen--the tranny bar is great--and the actors give fine performances, particularly Noiret as the gay man desperate for a son and Hélène Vincent as the desperate spinster. The ending works if you don't take Pierre at his word.