Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite

Twenty-year-old Michele (Audrey Tatou, star of the hit film "Amelie") is a successful model but an emotional wreck. Desperate to find something to believe in, she has tried Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and more, all without success. But when she meets handsome Francois, twelve years her senior and a successful secular Jew, she has a religious awakening. Suddenly obsessed with Judaism, she is soon driving Francois crazy nailing up mezuzahs, keeping kosher, observing Shabbat and accusing him of not being Jewish enough! "God is Great...I am Small" is an unusually smart and contemporary comedy/drama that builds its story around controversial issues affecting today's Jewry: Who or what is a Jew? Is a secular or Reform Jew really Jewish? Is it important to speak Hebrew? Can a relationship be successful if one partner is observant and the other is not?

Reading the message boards and some of the reviews for this film, I was amused (and I confess, a bit surprised) at how few viewers seemed to grasp the point. This is the sort of film that you have to think about while watching; it requires something on the part of the viewer. It's not meant to be passive entertainment. Yes, Tatou's character is annoying. Yes, Baer's character is irritating. But that's the whole idea. Tatou's "Michele" is a shallow, superficial fashion model in search of a "great cause" to identify with. (Of course, we know that no top model was ever like that, don't we!) Her constant reading of self-help books and what I like to call "bathtub philosophy" (like bathtub gin, it is home made and of dubious quality) leads her on a "spiritual quest" in the modern sense of the buzzword that spirituality has become--the search for a feel-good factor that will make her feel better about herself, her decisions and her life. Baer's "François" considers himself to be above all need for religion, heritage, even his own history. He's too intellectual (in his own eyes) to need any of those "crutches". And yet he is drawn into a relationship with the dysfunctional, needy Michele because neither one is happy with themselves and both hope to find someone to fill the gaping hole in their lives.

I have known many people of this type personally...they wander from one idea, one philosophy, one country, career or "lifestyle" to another without ever really committing to anything. That's why it says "To be continued" at the end of the film: these people will search forever, without ever seeing what's right in front of their noses. Their personal movie will go on...and on...and on. When the lights come up at the end of the show of their lives, Death will take them totally by surprise.

At first, I found the choppy editing annoying and confusing; it looks like a poorly made end-of-term project for film school. But that also helps make a point. Real life doesn't follow a nice, smooth script, and you can't edit the final rushes to suit yourself. It is what it is, with all its mistakes, out-takes, missed cues and forgotten lines. This is one of those minor films that can grow on you with time, if you learn to see beyond the surface into the ideas behind the emotions. It's only "shallow" if you fixate on the reflections...the water underneath is deep, and full of surprises. No, it's not Oscar material. It will never have mass appeal. But of its kind, it's considerably better than many viewers seem to realise.

If Amelie had not been released prior to Dieu est Grand, this film would not have had the same exposure...

And it's no surprise. The plot is simple though entertaining; a young girl (Tautou) searches for spirituality in religion and love. Having gone through Catholicism, Buddhism, she meets a Jew (Edouard Baer) and falls in love for him and Judaism... Well, I understood it like this, and I don't think religion plays a great part anyway. It is just a pretext for funny scenes and as a way to show some depth to the character.

Parts of the film are extremely funny, revolving around religion (misunderstandings...) and family troubles (Catherine Jacob as the mom is astounding as usual). However the film drags a bit on the conversion to Judaism and loses the edge in the end completely.

All in all, entertaining, light, but certainly not unforgettable... People who loved Amelie (like myself) will like it for the wonderful Audrey Tautou: she makes the plot ticks by herself. Not to forget Edouard Baer -a renowned and funny TV presenter (he hosts the French Oscar ceremony)- who is charming and credible when he could have overplayed his part easily! My rate: 6-7/10

Audrey Tatou, for certain France's most charismatically engaging young actress today, made "God is Great, I'm Not" before "Amelie" projected her to international acclaim. This release, coming quietly after the famous film, has had little if any U.S. theater exposure but it's a DVD that cries out for word-of-mouth boosterism.

Tatou plays Michele, a self-proclaimed "top model" (well she clearly does have a successful career going). More to the point she a 100% certifiable flake who flits from religion to religion seeking wisdom and, perhaps, a sense of belonging.

After a party she meets veterinarian Francois (Edouard Baer). A very short acquaintanceship leads to a one-night stand ending in a dashed ambulance run to the hospital because Michele has OD'd. Attempted suicide? A mistake? It's a mystery but Michele's closest friend, Valerie the Novice Therapist (Julie Depardieu), convinces Francois he has some continuing responsibility for Michele. Just because of one night of hot sex? Well, it is France and the idea has a certain charm. Anyway, without it the film would end at this point. Francois has a quiet accommodating quality: he's the kind that a Michele will always enrapture.

Michele falls in love with Francois, a fellow comfortable as a "secular Jew." In his case that means he doesn't even want his apartment house neighbors to know his heritage. Absurd, declaims Michele, who proceeds to noisily attempt to affix a "mezuzah" to his front door (a Jewish talismanic article that observant members of that religion invariably have at each door in their homes sans the bathroom).

Anyway, the real fun is that Michele, bored with her past religious explorations, decides to study Judaism both with a rabbi and also in a class for possible converts - but only with Francois safely sitting beside her and actively participating. He IS besotted!

There's a lot of good humor as Francois allows himself to be drawn into Judaism - but only so far. Meanwhile Michele gets more serious about not only studying the religion but observing its very restrictive dietary precepts and other controlling laws.

So much for the basic plot-anything more would spoil the fun. But director Pascale Bailly has insured that no viewer need be Jewish to enjoy madcap Tatou's foray into that ancient religion.

Tatou has the most marvelous ability to instantly telegraph her feelings through economical but mesmerizing facial expressions. Born a century earlier, she would have been a silent film star to rival the Gish sisters, Pola Negri and many others.

She's the treat who makes this offbeat comedy (with a dollop of serious relationship issues) worth watching.

So rent it!

8/10

'Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite' is a little film by Pascale Bailly that spends a lot of time trying to tell a story in bits and pieces with numerous characters, interesting in and of themselves but confusing to the viewer, attempting to keep up with the breakneck speed of this French comedy. The saving grace is the presence of Audrey Tautou and a few other actors whose screen magnetism holds our interest.

Fresh from a breakup with a boyfriend Bertand (Mathieu Demy) top model Michèle (Tautou) is a wreck of a person flirting with all manner of religious outlets (Hindu, Buddhism, Catholicism, etc) trying to find something to make her crazy life make sense. She encounters a veterinarian François (Edouard Baer) who is a secular Jew (non-practicing, closeted, etc) and not only does she fall immediately into bed with him (and a next morning attempted suicide!) she begins to stalk him trying to embrace Judaism - a fact that at first drives François away and then a little mad himself. The manner in which Michèle and François study Judaism and all its graces and restrictions is (I think) the basis for the rest of the story: the filming technique of flashbacks and fragmentary moments and cutesy scribblings on pages are paced to confuse and make this simple story a maze to follow! Along the way we meet some interesting types including Valérie (Julie Depardieu) who opens her door to her first psychology patient (Thierry Neuvic) and promptly falls in love with him; Ali (Atmen Kelif) who is Michèle's nutty fashion photographer and a number of others. There are funny moments, touching moments, absurd moments, but they are loosely strung together. In the end this is a fun film in which it is a bit trying to connect all the dots! In French, English, and Hebrew with subtitles. Grady Harp