Garçon stupide (2004)

Director:

Lionel Baier

Writers:

Lionel Baier (writer)
Laurent Guido (writer)

Release Date:

13 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

This coming-of-age drama deals with a young man, realizing who he really is and which things he will never do...

Plot Keywords:

Male Frontal Nudity | Gay | Nudity | Coming Out | Dildo

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Pierre Chatagny	...	Loïc
Natacha Koutchoumov	...	Marie
Rui Pedro Alves	...	Rui
Khaled Khouri		(as Khaled Khoury)
Mikele D.
Hervé D.
Joëlle Rübli
Vincent Verselle
Laurent Guido	...	Guy in the Museum
Rachel Noël
Robin Harsch
Marianne Bruchez
Michel Rochat
Marlyse Bonvin
Ursula Meier

Also Known As:

Stupid Boy (International: English title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

France | Switzerland

Language:

French | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:R | Germany:16 | USA:Unrated | Netherlands:16 | UK:18 | Switzerland:18 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Lausanne, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland

Company:

Saga-Productions

Movie Connections:

References "The Simpsons" (1989)

The Embryo of a Fine Film Defuses

Though most reviewers and viewers are putting this film down as a waste of time, this particular viewer sees many redeeming factors here that, given some further time in the editing room and a bit of script doctoring, could have resulted in a moving story.

Young Swiss filmmaker Lionel Baier has both written (with Laurent Guido) and directed with quasi-autobiographical story that explores the coming of age of a lower class young lad who seems destined to settle for being a hustler. Loic (first time actor Pierre Chatagny) works in an assembly line chocolate factory in Bulle, Switzerland and his only 'life' is provided through his internet activity meeting men for sex. His casual sexual encounters (rather graphically shown in the first portion of the film) are his only answer to relating to people until he meets Marie (Natacha Koutchoumov) with whom he rooms and bonds. Marie is bright and encourages Loic, uneducated and uninformed, to look up words he encounters- a simple but well-intended manner in which Loic can improve himself. He meets the older Lionel (played by the director Lionel Baier) who dangles before Loic's eyes the possibilities of finer things in life. Loic spends his idle hours with a digital camera and between his new interest in photography and his pursuing his 'basic' education, he begins to long for a life more significant than his brainless casual sex. He becomes friends with a soccer player and his son, loses his friendship with Marie when Marie finds a real lover, and ultimately Loic yearns to escape the life of the 'stupid boy' of the title and enters a dreamworld fantasy of something better.

Good ideas for a film here, but Baier seems to get sidetracked into artsy camera work, quasi-porno, and surrealistic moving lights and alpine scenery, and the film falters as a result. But there does seem to be some promise of a new filmmaker on the rise, This film may not be tolerated by some for various reasons, but for the adventurous spirits who are unafraid of a bit of male frontal nudity and sexual acting out, here are redeeming aspects to this little film that merit attention. Grady Harp