André Téchiné, cinéaste insoumis (2019 TV Movie) User Reviews

Frustrated by this documentary

[jromanbaker · 6/10 · 21 March 2021]

I watched this documentary on Andre Téchiné, and found it moderately interesting. Téchiné spoke clearly about his relationship with his mother, his homosexuality and of course his love of film. Interwoven with this were interviews with several actors he had worked with, Adjani, Deneuve, Beart ,Binoche, and Kiberlain who was the most eloquent of the lot. I am not saying the others spoke in either formulaic or gushing terms but somehow she moved me the most. She was the mother of the son in (for me) Téchiné's finest film, 'Being 17' and his words in the film, used in the documentary moved me to tears. His mother asks him, 'Why did you hit him so hard?', and the reply was 'Because I wanted to kiss him.' This said more about Téchiné and his work than all the rest, however sincere and well meant, and Sandrine Kiberlain seemed to well and truly understand the elephant in the room of French Cinema: homosexuality. Téchiné spoke of it and Assayas approached the subject by saying that Téchiné had opened doors on the subject. All the other male actors ignored the elephant completely and of course none of them probably had anything to say. I would have liked Téchiné to not be the only homosexual in the claustrophobic room. I wanted fresh air on the issue (and yes there are many other issues in his films} but probably misquoting Beart she did say his cinematic gaze was on the male, and pronto there was a cut to one of his films with an attractive male. As a critic of cinema, and homosexual myself I wanted a few more to say, look there is the elephant that is so obvious, but must be hidden, and further to ask why it must be so hidden? Téchiné admires and loves a lot of his female actors, and some, if not all reciprocated that love. In this documentary Daniel Auteuil was the most forthcoming, but where were the gay male and lesbian actors he has worked with? I ended the film frustrated that the French still approach homosexuality (male especially) with such caution. And despite the existence of the elephant in the room it is still firmly locked up with Téchiné.