Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite

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

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

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.

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.

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.