Vous êtes jeunes, vous êtes beaux

I have rarely seen a so gripping story, a tale that makes you think about old age and what life may lead to. The story of an old man, and also his wife, who are so poor that our lead has nothing else to do than get into a disgusting fighting business to survive. A kind of fight club for elders.I understand and already foresee that most^audiences won't like this story, saying that is a kind of peeping tom stuff, oscene topic, degrading forold people. Why not? But I loved this movie. That's all. And I don't think I am a peeping tom buff.

In spite of the title,which suggests another of those "feel good " comedy ,it's a dark drama ; the tragedy of old age ,when you are left by the wayside by a society who ignores you. In Tennesee Williams' "cat on a hot tin roof" ,Maggie says : " you've got to be old WITH money because to be old without it is just too awful".

Lucius is seriously ill , and probably ,if one is to believe his GP ,terminally ill , and pretty soon ,he won't be able to live alone; too poor to afford a private home for retired people , he's given a strange piece of advice....

"Fight club"..... A place where old people practice boxing ; the movie becomes a fable ,for how could a sick man do such a thing? ; fighting becomes a real struggle against the selfish society epitomized by the opponent ,a victim too ...In this unthinkable way ,they can make the dough the state denies them.

.....meets "They shoot horses don't they ?" For this is a circus ,with an MC , "Monsieur Loyal " ,who "cheers" the fighters in front of a young audience who pays for this inhuman bestial show to whom he shouts: "have a look at yourself as you'll be when you are old" ; this flabby flesh on a ring makes you hair stand on end.

For it's almost an eerie spooky movie: the visions of the hero ,for instance the little boy knocking on the pane seems to say "make way for tomorrow" ;it is similar to a trick used in an old French movie ,Jean Gourguet 's "son dernier rôle "(1945). The way Josiane Balasko's children fool their mom is given a treatment close to Gothic style ; and there's a precious ghostly appearance by Patrick Bouchitey,too rare on the screen. The young generation is represented by Jean-Paul Belmondo 's grandson,Victor ;the choice is relevant: his granddad had the guts to play a very old man in the remake of De Sica"'s"Umberto D " ,"un homme et son chien".

And it takes a lot of guts to perform such thankless parts as Gérard Darmon and his pals do in this tragedy .

Yesterday night I saw a nice French Movie Vous êtes jeunes vous êtes beaux -

Written and Directed by Franchin Don, the movie belongs to the main lead veteran actor Gerard Darmon who plays the role of an old poor pensioner Lucious Marnant, who is slowly dying with an unrecoverable ailment.

He has a soul-mate Mona (Josiane Balasko) - another aged lady with whom he shares moments of LOVE at her apartment

By chance Lucious comes across an agent Lahire (Vincent Winterhalter) who offers him an illegal gaming sport of old-age boxing in return for good money for his private retirement home.

With no money, no family, no hope left in life Lucious agrees to earn some boxing bouts for spending a few pleasurable moment with Mona on a trip to Mona's relatives at Mona's ancestral home., On arrival they realize that her relatives has already abandoned the home and Mona - leading her to commit suicide- but she survives (bed-ridden in a coma)

Lucious also meets an old friend Loyal (Denis Lavant) in a similar dire strait of old-age with no one to care who is knocked dead in another fight.

There is so much pain luring all over the frames. The darkness, the camera, the melancholy of being old with no one to have around.

It is a disturbing movie with such unsaid under current commentary of the under-belly of modern-age of urban jungles where people cheer and bet / profit on old people fighting and killing each other. NO ONE CARES...

Brilliantly shot - beautifully canvased, subtly acted, nuanced performances by all cast

With an aristocratic flawless act - Gerard Darmon carries the whole movie on his shoulder - single-handedly.

A very well made movie - with lots of thoughts and effort gone into it. A good movie to watch

I would go with 7.25 out of 10 for this gem.