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?

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

This movie will be easily forgotten. In fact, without Audrey Tautou, it would be pretty boring. Michèle (Tautou) falls for this guy, François (Baer), but also for his religion: Judaism. You see, Michèle is seeking herself in religion. She's been shopping around: Catholicism, Buddhism, etc. There is some tiny bit of thinking on what is it exactly to be a believer, but the movie doesn't go far enough.

But again, watch it for Tautou. She's got a certain spontaneity that is refreshing and that remind me of another Audrey [Hepburn].

Out of 100, I gave it 71. That's good for ** out of ****.

Seen at home, in Toronto, on November 6th, 2004.

Tautouology should not be confused with tautology, which means 'the needless repetition of an idea'. Tautouology is concerned, on the contrary, with necessary repetitions, that is, with the annual recurrence of a species of elfin creature with large eyes, which once a year appears in films. Tautouology is the most recently created of scientific disciplines, and is thus an indicator of the relentless march of progress in science and technology. Tautous are very rare, and only one specimen is so far known to science. Although it is suspected that there may be a colony of Tautous somewhere, perhaps in France, this has never been proved. The private habits of the Tautou are entirely unknown, and it has never been observed in its burrow. Many theories have been formed about the Tautou, but they are all highly speculative. Certainly, the Tautou has been observed frequently in Paris, and it is thought that this rare creature may have some connection with the Paris catacombs, to which it may possibly retire at night (though this has never been reliably reported by a qualified observer). This film, 'God Is Great but I Am Tiny', preserves valuable evidence on film of the behaviour of the Tautou. This film was made immediately after 'Amelie', when the Tautou is estimated by science to have been 24 years of age. (Tautous are believed to live to a great age, perhaps even 100.) The Tautou is a neotonous creature, that is, it looks much younger than it is, and it preserves childlike characteristics into adulthood. In fact, it is believed by some that these infantilisms will never disappear, or at least many scientists hope not, and that the Tautou will still be a little girl when it reaches the age of 100 which is predicted for it. In this film, a fine contribution is made by Edouard Baer, who delivers an excellent performance as a human, as do Julie Depardieu, Anna Koch, Atmen Kelif, and other humans who surround and interact with the Tautou in this excellent natural history film. The direction of the film by Pascale Bailly is lively, if somewhat over-quirky at times, adopting very much a cinema verite approach (the references to Godard in the film did not go unnoticed by scientists). The theological implications of this study of the religious behaviour of the Tautou, as it wavers in the film from religion to religion (Catholicism, Buddhism, Judaism, you name it), is thought to be a comment upon Heidegger's views of 'being and essence'. Certainly the Tautou says at one point to Francois: 'You aren't Jewish enough.' The social interactions of the Tautou with the humans make this film fascinating to watch, as the Tautou shows extreme volatility, which the humans have trouble coping with. The Tautou is liable to change religions in the same way that the Arctic hare goes from brown to white when the snow falls. Tautou mood swings, emotional seizures, changes of hair style, clothing changes, alterations between loving and hating, all confirm the zoological conclusions arrived at on the basis of other evidence, that the Tautou has a hyper-sensitivity to its social environment and reacts badly to the withdrawal of love. This film is of extreme importance to the discipline of Tautouology, and is recommended to all serious students of this rare mammal.

This is the story of a woman, played by Audrey Tautou, who searches for herself by searching for a religion she can relate to. She tries all of the major religions and ends up with Judaism when she starts to data Francois, who is lapsed in his faith.

Her spiritual quest drives her, Francois and ME crazy. I tend to like character and plot-driven movies, but it is important that I relate to the character in some way. There was no one with whom I could relate.

From a technical point-of-view there are positives and negatives. I rented this movie primarily because I enjoy Audrey Tautou's acting. She is talented and exceptionally charming. In that, this movie lived up to my expectations. Her acting and that of the other case members is quite well done. Unfortunately, the direction and editing aren't quite as good. There are a lot of very short scenes that are distracting and don't seem to advance the story.

By no means is this a bad movie, but unless you can relate to a spiritual journey more than me, this movie probably won't quite do it for you.