Coup de chaud

Four years after the excellent "Avant l'Aube," this third film by Raphaël Jacoulot is an intriguing thriller/mystery that takes place in a small village in Southwest France in the heat of the summer, an unusual and interesting back drop for such a story to occur.

There's a good deal to praise in this film, including its detailed, thoughtful, and accurate portrayal of what life is like in a small village in Southern France. You really get a strong sense of the tensions between farmers and non-farmers, of the economic disparity between them and of their conflicting view points. You get to see what it's like to be young and bored in a village, or old and melancholic. Jacoulot also shows, with quasi-ethnographic sensitivity, how a village like this might function at the political level, who has the power and how exactly it's exercised.

Furthermore, at the heart of this film is a mystery that is quite engaging, leaving you wanting to know exactly what's happened and why. As the story progresses, revealing some surprises along the way, the movie never ceases to portray morally complex characters and situations, no small feat.

But, in our opinion, the best part of the film is most likely the fantastic performance by Karim Leklou who plays the main character in the story, the mentally challenged and disturbed Josef.

Leklou is not widely known as an actor yet, but we think he will be. His wonderful and challenging performance reminds us of Leonardo DiCaprio's character in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," which proved to be a breakout role for the young American actor. It will be interesting to see what roles Leklou goes on to take. For certain -- though we're sure Mr. Leklou is a very nice man -- we believe he will make a wonderful villain at some point down the road.

For a more detailed discussion of the film, check out our eponymous web site.

The outcast is almost a taboo subject in France ;the actors are not keen on playing such demeaning parts ,and it is much to Karim Leklou 's credit to achieve such a harsh task,without overplaying and falling into the trap of self-pity ,sentiment and vulgarity;his look,longing for love ,compassion and understanding will deeply move the audience and linger long after the viewing.Actually ,the last French movie entirely focused on an outcast is Robert Bresson 's "Mouchette" (1967)(from Georges Bernanos) in which a barfly's daughter got a raw deal in her village .

But the treatment in "Coup De Chaud" is different ;we do not find here the way Bresson used to distance himself from events."Coup De Chaud' is a very accessible movie,which was not a big success in France ,because it does not deal with the hip people we usually meet in contemporary works,and mainly because WE could be part of these contemptuous human beings ,WE could laugh at the halfwit behind his back ,because WE know (and WE are proud of it) that WE are part of the society ,the chosen ones .I'm not sure that the people who are harder on the poor lad are that much happy (particularly the obnoxious woman who accuses Joseph Bousou -the name itself has something pejorative- of theft without any real evidence .Ditto for the murderer.As long as you got somebody to look down on,you are not on the bottom.

Boys get a high opinion of themselves and use the sexually repressed village idiot as a foil ;girls seem more sympathetic but you must never go on appearances.The mayor (played by the always reliable Jean - Pierre Darroussin)seems to care for the unfortunate boy,but is it for the guy's sake ,or for the sake of the election?:he tries to calm things down but to no avail:hate runs rampant in this microcosm ,in search of a scapegoat .Persistent dryness (hints at 1976) does not help.Actually the only person -outside the old lady whose rape attempt is almost unbearable- who seems to have really understood the halfwit's plight is the cop ,but it's too late .

I'm happy to read that the first two comments on the movie are positive and thus can make the viewers get off the beaten track.

Like this? Try these .....

"Mouchette" (Bresson ,1967)

"Jagdzenen Aus Bayern " (Scènes De Chasse En Bavière) (Peter Fleischmann,1968)

You can also have a look at the director's precedent work "Avant L'Aube" .

A movie about a very important subject or subjects, with excellent actors' performances, good cinematography, but rather poor writing.

The message delivery is efficient but not nuanced enough that it would sway anyone not sympathetic. Rape, racism, poverty, as many subjects where people choose the blind eye rather than the open heart. Unfortunately Boisset's "dupont la joie" might work better than "coup de chaud" in exposing everyday malignancy.

So not a great movie, but a valuable exposure.