Look at Me (2004) Comme une image (original title)

Director:

Agnès Jaoui

Writers:

Agnès Jaoui (scenario) &
Jean-Pierre Bacri (scenario)

Release Date:

22 September 2004 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

Plot:

A french girl gifted with a great voice, has a complex about her weight and her appearance.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Friend | Concert | Publisher | Journalist

Awards:

9 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Marilou Berry	...	Lolita Cassard
Agnès Jaoui	...	Sylvia Millet
Jean-Pierre Bacri	...	Étienne Cassard
Laurent Grévill	...	Pierre Millet
Virginie Desarnauts	...	Karine Cassard
Keine Bouhiza	...	Sébastien
Grégoire Oestermann	...	Vincent
Serge Riaboukine	...	Félix
Michèle Moretti	...	Édith
Jean-Pierre Lazzerini	...	Le chauffeur de taxi
Jacques Boko	...	Le videur
Yves Verhoeven	...	Le badaud 1
Samir Guesmi	...	Le badaud 2
Bob Zaremba	...	Le type qu'on voit partout
Roberte Kiehl	...	La pianiste du conservatoire
Jean-Baptiste Blanc	...	Le chanteur du conservatoire
Emma Beziaud	...	Louna
Julien Baumgartner	...	Mathieu
Zelie Berger	...	La copine de Mathieu au café
Dimitri Rataud	...	Le médecin
Camille Dereux	...	La jolie chanteuse
Henri Boyer	...	Le pianiste chez Pierre et Sylvia
Guillaume Huet	...	Nicolas
Olivia Lancelot	...	La peintre
Elodie Clairin	...	La serveuse de la brasserie d'Etienne
Olivier Claverie	...	L'éditeur
Bernard Blancan	...	Le serveur du café du village
Sebastien Andrieu	...	Le jeune homme qui regarde Sylvia
Marie Sarrasin	...	La jeune fille qui Mathieu embrasse
Antonia Cornin-Navarro	...	La gardienne
Philippe Tran	...	Le serveur du restaurant Edith / Sylvia
Erick Desmarestz	...	Le nouveau maître
Didier Brice	...	L'assistant du nouveau maître
Olivier Doran	...	François Galland
Catherine Morin	...	La femme de la publicité
Alain Debruyne	...	La personne qui place à l'église
Laurent Bury	...	L'ensemble vocal
Caroline Duliège	...	L'ensemble vocal
Alice Fagard	...	L'ensemble vocal
Sophie Fejoz	...	L'ensemble vocal
Roméo Fidanza	...	L'ensemble vocal
Mahé Goufan	...	L'ensemble vocal
Loïk Le Guillou	...	L'ensemble vocal
Arnaud Péan	...	L'ensemble vocal
Christophe Manien	...	Pianiste
Alexandra Rübner	...	Lolita (singing voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jackie Berroyer	...	L'ami devant les Bains (uncredited)
Vincent Bowen	...	(uncredited)
André Crudo	...	Le photographe des Bains (uncredited)
Emilie Lafarge	...	(uncredited)
Maia Landaburu	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Agnès Jaoui

Writing credits
Agnès Jaoui		(scenario) &
Jean-Pierre Bacri		(scenario)

Produced by
Jean-Philippe Andraca	....	producer
Christian Bérard	....	producer
Judith Havas	....	assistant producer

Original Music by
Philippe Rombi

Cinematography by
Stéphane Fontaine

Film Editing by
François Gédigier

Casting by
Brigitte Moidon

Production Design by
Olivier Jacquet

Set Decoration by
Jimena Esteve

Costume Design by
Jackie Budin

Makeup Department
Eric Benazet	....	hair stylist
Patrick Girault	....	key hair stylist
Jacky Reynal	....	key makeup artist (as Jackie Reynal)
Catherine Vrignaud	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Daniel Chevalier	....	production manager
Nathalie Dages	....	assistant unit production manager
Loïc Deplace	....	assistant unit production manager
Alexandra Dima	....	assistant unit production manager
Aurélien Fauchet	....	assistant unit production manager
Jean-Marc Fitte-Duval	....	assistant unit production manager
Abraham Goldblat	....	post-production manager
Judith Havas	....	post-production supervisor
Marie-Hélène Lambret	....	unit production manager (as Marie-Hélène Labret)
Bruno Perdrigeat	....	assistant unit production manager
Xavier Rivière	....	assistant unit production manager
Romaric Thomas	....	assistant unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Antoine Garceau	....	assistant director
Ludovic Giraud	....	trainee assistant director
Raphaëlle Piani	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Franck Chicheportiche	....	assistant art director
Peter Hammond	....	painter
Philippe Lacomblez	....	assistant art director
Yvon Moreno	....	property master
Eleonore Chaspoul	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Katia Boutin	....	dialogue editor
Frank Ceven	....	assistant foley artist
Pascal Chauvin	....	foley artist
Rym Debbarh-Mounir	....	assistant sound editor
Jean-Pierre Duret	....	sound
Dominique Eyraud	....	boom operator
Gérard Lamps	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gérard Lamps	....	sound
Armelle Mahé	....	assistant sound mixer
Armelle Mahé	....	dialogue recordist
Armelle Mahé	....	foley recording engineer
Nadine Muse	....	sound editor
Nadine Muse	....	sound

Special Effects by
Daniel Lenoir	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Frederic Moreau	....	visual effects producer
Sarah Moreau	....	visual effects coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Xavier Cholet	....	electrician
Xavier Cholet	....	gaffer
Marie Decourt	....	second assistant camera
Isabelle Dumas	....	first assistant camera
Jean-Paul Dumas-Grillet	....	still photographer
Jean-Bernard Josko	....	grip
Franck Loiseau	....	grip (as Franck Loizeau)
Luc Reyrolle	....	gaffer
Stéphane Rouillon	....	grip
Joel Spinola	....	gaffer (as Joël Spinola)
Michel Strasser	....	key grip
Vincent Tulasne	....	video assistant

Casting Department
Marie-France Michel	....	extras casting
Fany Touya-Calmon	....	casting assistant (as Fanny Touya)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Aline Dupays	....	on-set costumer

Editorial Department
Clara Bouffartigue	....	trainee assistant editor
Beatrice Herminie	....	assistant editor (as Béatrice Herminie)
Marjolaine Mispelaere	....	color timer
Clara Salducci	....	trainee assistant editor

Music Department
Richard Boudarham	....	artistic director: Orchestra
Benjamin Caillaud	....	music recording assistant
Daniel Deshays	....	music recordist: for Ensemble vocal
Mahé Goufan	....	singing coach: for Marilou Berry and Alexandra Rübner
Valérie Lindon	....	music supervisor
Christophe Manien	....	pianist
Orchestre Symphonique Bel'Arte	....	musician
Stéphane Reichart	....	music scoring mixer
Philippe Rombi	....	conductor
Philippe Rombi	....	orchestrator
Alexandra Rübner	....	singing voice: for Lolita
Marie-Bernadette Val	....	chorus master

Other crew
Marie Barré	....	location scout
John Charles	....	software engineer: Sony DAC
Sylvie François	....	production secretary
Marie-Christine Février	....	assistant production administrator
François Hernandez	....	making-of director
Sandra Marthon	....	unit production assistant
Yann Nerot	....	production administrator
Agathe Sallabery	....	script supervisor (as Agathe Sallaberry)
Thierry Valletoux	....	reportage

Production Companies

• Les Films A4 (presents)
• StudioCanal (co-production with) (as StudioCanal)
• France 2 Cinéma (co-production with)
• Lumière (co-production with)
• Eyescreen S.r.l. (co-production with) (as Eyscreen [Italie])
• Canal+ (participation)

Distributors

• Mars Distribution (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• StudioCanal (2007) (France) (DVD)
• A-Film Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Dendy Films (2005) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Festive Films (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Filmladen (2004) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• GAGA (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Orlando Films (2004) (Israel) (theatrical)
• Prokino Filmverleih (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Lucky Red (2004) (Italy) (all media)
• Melimedias (2004) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Melimedias (2004) (Belgium) (video)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Seville Pictures (2005) (Canada) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Studio Davout  music recording studio
• Actes Sud  special thanks
• Agnès B.  special thanks
• Apple  special thanks
• Bonne Maman (I)  special thanks
• Chanel  special thanks
• Concervatoire Hector Berlioz  special thanks (as Le concervatoire municipal du Xème Arrt Hector Belioz)
• Cristaline  special thanks
• Dries Van Noten  special thanks
• Jacques Dessange  special thanks (as Jacques Dessange Beauté)
• L'Arche Editeur  special thanks
• Le Monde  special thanks
• Mission Cinéma-Mairie de Paris  special thanks (as Le Mairie de Paris, Mission Cinéma)
• Nokia  special thanks
• Pianos Pleyel  special thanks

Also Known As:

"Comme une image" - France (original title)
"Like an Image" - International (English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief language and a sexual reference

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Brazil:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 | Taiwan:GP | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Hungary:14 | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Menades, Yonne, France

Company:

Les Films A4

Trivia:

This film contains a clip from Blood on the Moon (1948).

Quotes:

Étienne Cassard:There's cyanide in the bathroom.
Sébastien:Why do you say that?
Étienne Cassard:Just to cut the tension.

Movie Connections:

Features Blood on the Moon (1948)

Soundtrack:

répetition de Così fan tutte

Not a false note in the whole film!

Comme une image (2004) was co-scripted and directed by Agnès Jaoui. (The film is known as Look at Me in the U.S. It's a reasonable title--just not the title the Director gave it.)

The plot concerns a group of educated and successful Parisians whose lives intersect in both Paris and Burgundy. The protagonist is Lolita Cassard, played by Marilou Berry. Lolita is a dedicated vocal student, whose most serious problem is that her father--played by Jean-Pierre Bacri--is too self-absorbed to pay much attention to her. Étienne Cassard is a noted author and publisher, who cares about his work, his position of power, and, to some extent, his beautiful trophy wife and their young daughter (Lolita's half-sister). Lolita's life is more trouble to him than he cares to accept, so he chooses to ignore her or belittle her.

Lolita is overweight, and acutely conscious of this because she is surrounded by elegant women of all ages who are slender. Lolita blames her problems on her weight and--reasonably enough--she can't bring herself to accept her father's lack of interest, let alone his lack of compassion.

Into this equation comes Sylvia Millet, Lolita's vocal coach. Incredibly, director/screenwriter Jaoui also stars in this pivotal role. (It's hard to believe that Jaoui can be both an outstanding director and an experienced star. It's even harder to believe that she can direct herself in such a nuanced and intelligent performance. She must be Wonder Woman!)

Sylvia has true compassion and affection for Lolita, but she's not a saint, and is not above using her influence with Lolita to advance her husband's writing career.

To my mind, Agnès Jaoui represents the perfect French film star. She looks talented, intelligent, and strong, and she's also very attractive in a non-conventional way.

One reviewer wrote, "Look at Me is about nothing and everything simultaneously." I disagree. It's not about everything, but it is about love, friendship, ambition, hurtfulness, and betrayal.

Classical music is played and sung throughout the film, and it's outstanding. Be prepared to hear songs and arias by Verdi, Offenbach, Monteverdi, and Mozart.

Jaoui (with her costar Bacri) won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes. With great acting, direction, music and script, this movie is not to be missed!