In the 1990s, Louis (Gaspard Ullilel) is a gay man in his thirties who is a successful playwright in Paris. After a long absence from his family, he returns to the small town where he grew up in order to tell them of a life-changing situation. Once there, past family dysfunction is brought to the surface again. The film is based on the play by Jean-Luc Lagarce.
The relatives greeting Louis are his mother (Nathalie Baye), his older brother (Vincent Cassel), his brother's wife (Marion Cotillard) whom he is meeting for the first time, and his much younger sister (Léa Seydoux) who was a child when he last saw her. The best scenes are when Louis is one-on-one with each of the women. Among them, there is genuine awkwardness that tries, not always successfully, to hide the feelings of abandonment due to Louis' absence.
The scene between Louis and his brother Antoine, however, is not so successful. Antoine is in a constant fit of rage and resentment. While Cassel plays the part well (though rather miscast as he is eighteen years older than Ulliel), the characterization feels incomplete.
It's easy to compare Antoine to the Eddie Maresan character in "Happy Go-Lucky". But while each are enraged by life, the angry character is more easily understood in "Happy Go-Lucky" than in this film.
In the beginning, one might have thought that Louis's being gay was the reason for his estrangement but the family seems okay about this. There's no indication of past or present homophobia. It's most likely the bad relations, especially those of his brother, that would probably cause anyone to flee.
There is much to ponder in this film and it is very well acted by a fine cast. It is a good film but could have been much better if the character of Antoine was more explored. - dbamateurcritic.
The relatives greeting Louis are his mother (Nathalie Baye), his older brother (Vincent Cassel), his brother's wife (Marion Cotillard) whom he is meeting for the first time, and his much younger sister (Léa Seydoux) who was a child when he last saw her. The best scenes are when Louis is one-on-one with each of the women. Among them, there is genuine awkwardness that tries, not always successfully, to hide the feelings of abandonment due to Louis' absence.
The scene between Louis and his brother Antoine, however, is not so successful. Antoine is in a constant fit of rage and resentment. While Cassel plays the part well (though rather miscast as he is eighteen years older than Ulliel), the characterization feels incomplete.
It's easy to compare Antoine to the Eddie Maresan character in "Happy Go-Lucky". But while each are enraged by life, the angry character is more easily understood in "Happy Go-Lucky" than in this film.
In the beginning, one might have thought that Louis's being gay was the reason for his estrangement but the family seems okay about this. There's no indication of past or present homophobia. It's most likely the bad relations, especially those of his brother, that would probably cause anyone to flee.
There is much to ponder in this film and it is very well acted by a fine cast. It is a good film but could have been much better if the character of Antoine was more explored. - dbamateurcritic.