Merci la vie

A confused and rambling mess. It has a few funny moments, and the whole are they in a film, are they shooting a film, is it a flashback structure could have been very intresting, but it's too confused and confusing, and with too many unnecessary and unpleasant scenes of young women being punched and kicked on the floor for no good reason, for it to be worth the investment to try to follow it properly.

... and you get the film that made me understand what cinema was all about.

The simple story of two teenagers meeting at no time. The candid one, Camille, makes the audience, the more experienced one, Joelle, provides the story: in the 80s or 90s, a foolish lover decides to exploit her sickness (AIDS) to contaminate the male population of his provincial town and gain on the visits of his new patients... the clever man is a GP.

The story is made even more interesting when it suddenly jumps from one period of the 20th century to the other, France under occupation during the second world war. Whatever the period, the drama is the same.

What I liked so much in this film is the way Blier makes the last jump, when the film is no longer about the story but about the crew of the film. It is not only a simple effect, it goes on showing that life is a drama whatever the situation, that even if Joelle is an actress, still she can live the same drama.

The other great thing about this film is that you can't help comparing it with Blier's 'Les Valseuses', and read it as the story of friendship and liberty at two different times (70's for les valseuses). This is not just because of the story line, but is present at almost every shots. From the meeting of the two encounters to simple shots on the road, where both walk, one slower than the other, like an unbalanced pair.

When I first saw this flick, I thought it was 20 years ahead of its time. Nine years later, I'd like to review the "20" part of it. Say "30" instead. It was an important flick for me. A reflection on cinema, reality and time. I remember reading a "Letter to the editor" in the local paper (La Presse) in which the "reader" expressed his disgust for the film. Nothing is disgusting about it. "Challenging" maybe. "Disturbing". Never "Disgusting", unless one is disgusting by the story of a young woman spreading an imaginary mortal sexually transmissible disease for the local doctor to prosper.

Of course, since and before, other experiences were made, but this one is not to be overlooked. A must.

Bernard Blier's movie has many moments or remarkable cinema. Unfortunately, it is too complex to enjoy. The screen writer and the director play with the story line, jump time periods and change characters in a sophisticated manner. You keep on changing your mind about 'what the film is about'. It is never boring, just too complex to follow and really enjoy beyond the expert film making. Some of the great names of the French cinema star in this movie, as well as two of the hot female stars of the newer generation. Worth watching, but not for the commercial cinema fans. 7 out of 10 on my personal scale.

One of those few movies which changed my life - well, stayed in my consciousness for a long time. You won't like it if you don't suspend conventional expectations about plot, story, time lines, conclusions etc. as they're irrelevant here. Blier plays with just about everything he can lay his camera on, including the audience (particularly the audience). This movie is like a roller-coaster ride under the influence of a healthy dose of caffeine (at least)...

Great little movie about big stuff - expect to be surprised at every tangent and put your cerebrally charged glasses on. Having said that, the 90% degree turns zap along largely without the aid of soulless special effects or computer-generated eye-candy. 8 out of 10 in my view for originality and creative endeavour.