Chacun cherche son chat

1996 was the year during which Cédric Klapisch definitely imposed his talent in the landscape of French cinema thanks to two feature movies: "un air de famille" and "chacun cherche son chat". The ones who have been enthralled by these two flicks won't contradict me. Written day-to-day on account of the evolution of the story, shot with a shoestring budget, acted by only 2 or 3 professional comedians and virtually non-professional actors, "chacun cherche son chat" confirms all the hopes placed in Klapisch.

One thing I noticed with him is that he has the gift to entitle his movies with catchy and funny titles (which can only be understood by French-speaking people; here "chacun cherche son chat" was translated abroad by :"when the cat's away" whereas the original title in French is "everyone's looking for his/her cat"). "Chacun cherche son chat" clearly obeys to this trend. The main character is a teenage girl, Chloé who's looking for her cat in a popular neighborhood in Paris.

We find again in this film, a few themes and features peculiar to Klapisch which he will develop and improve in his future movies like the initiatory voyage "l'auberge Espagnole" (2002). About it, for Klapisch the loss of Chloé's cat "Grisgris" mainly serves as a pretext to confront her heroin with the exterior world, in the street. She will gradually leave her naive and egocentric world to get interested in the people who surround her and to strike up friendships with several people. In a way, the director tries to communicate us a nearly identical message to the one in "Groundhog Day" (1993): you have to open yourselves to others which enables to see the world under another (and better) angle. Then, I previously mentioned Klapisch's features. I won't linger on them. I will just say that two of them shine. The director knows how to associate an ironic and tender look in the portrait of his characters and he seems very close to them. In another hand, he just has to proceed by little touches to make a situation intense (I think of the moment when Chloé meets Michel's latest lover).

But if there's a more admirable thing in Klapisch's opus, it's the directing of actors. Each one of them is perfectly used. Garence Clavel is a real revelation whereas some of her partners see their talent evolving (Zinedine Soualem and Romain Duris, two actors from Klapisch's gang). And this dear Mrs Renée! Very far from the commonplaces and stereotypes commonly attributed to old people, she's also the opposite of Etienne Chatiliez's "tatie Danielle". The director also grants a great attention to the non-professional actors, even to those who have a minor role. Most of them appear for a few minutes on the screen but their presences remain in the memories. Moreover, the solidarity which strongly links its inhabitants (no matter their age) clashes with the place of the action and the dramatic changes which occur in it: a dying popular neighborhood. We can often see in the film, shots of buildings razed or half razed to the ground.

"Chacun cherche son chat" is beneficial cinema like we would like to watch it more often and this one, "Le péril jeune" (1994), "un air de famille" and "l'auberge Espagnole" can secure Klapisch's place in the limited circle of the greatest French film-makers of these last years. And by the way, thank you Mr Klapisch for making movies that make me happy.

A wonderful insight into the types of characters we might meet in a rundown part of Paris which has seen better days and which is being demolished to make way for new and modern buildings. In some respects it's like a documentary about the concerns of the local populace for Gris-gris, a missing black cat. I think all the characters are well portrayed as a network of searchers comb the whole area and maintain daily reports over the telephone. I think the old lady Renee is absolutely priceless, not only as the recognized cat-minder but as a person who is able to express an opinion on every conceivable subject about Parisian life and attitudes. The search for Gris-gris takes us across rooftops and down alleyways to no avail and we ourselves become totally involved in the cat's whereabouts and hope he has come to no harm. It's amazing that such a simple theme can maintain our interest for 90 minutes, but undoubtedly it's the authenticity of the characters that makes this film so enjoyable.

A peculiar depiction of Paris. The more ambiguous, the more interesting. No Eiffel Tower, No 'Musée Du Louvre', no 'lost in translation' tourists. Just life, life at its fullest. In a controversial neighbourhood of the 20th 'arrondissement' there is more to life than commercial Paris. Life lies here in graffiti, in demolition of buildings, in bars, in the inevitable gossip.

Chloé is our vehicle of discovering that exploring life leads to identity. The camera follows her around and illustrates the most banal daily routines. The film doesn't need special effects to captivate you; it replaces them with people dealing with absurdly normal situations. From recurring scenes of amnesic old ladies being brought back by the police to characters running after cats on the roof of a building, Cédric Klapisch transforms the trivial into something exciting. All characters are expected to develop their identity and reach a common ground with the society and with themselves. Just as lost things are frequently lying in front of us, their search is ephemeral.

This film is listed as "When The Cat's Away." You will like

the characters in this film. They are all good people intent

on living their lives and interacting with each other in

meaningful ways. You may not agree with their lifesyles,

but you will not dislike them. I found the elderly ladies very

interesting especially with regard to their interaction with

the young woman (Chloe) who is the main character. The

story evolves around the loss of Chloe's beloved cat, Gris-Gris ("Gray-Gray"). This is a film that will absorb you

as you admire the human warmth and pure honesty of everyone involved in Chloe's life.

What starts out initially as a rather dull drama, quickly picks up pace and sparkles.

A lovely little movie that hopefully will never be given a Hollywood remake this movie is a treat.