Ma vie en rose (1997)
Director: Alain Berliner Cast: Michele Laroque, Jean-Philippe Ecoffey, Helene Vincent, Georges Du Fresne, Daniel Hanssens, Laurence Bibot Screenplay: Alain Berliner, Chris van der Stappen Producers: Carole Scotta Runtime: 88 min US Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics Rated R: brief strong language
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)
Ma vie en rose (My Life in Pink) is a quaint, direct film that tells the story of a nine year-old boy named Ludo (Georges Du Fresne) who finds pleasure dressing up like a girl. His parents, Pierre (Jean-Philippe Ecoffey) and Hanna (Michele Laroque), discover this one uncomfortable day when he emerges during a party dressed in his sister's pink dress. At first, they think it's just a phase. But Ludo keeps talking about it, and soon they have him seeing a child psychiatrist.
Ludo, in his young age, doesn't understand the implications of the things he does and says. A neighborhood friend of his is also the son of Pierre's boss; when Ludo tells his friend that he wants to marry him someday, the neighborhood finds out and goes into social upheaval, immediately assuming that Ludo's parents have raised him in some foul manner. The final straw occurs when Ludo--unbeknownst to everyone--takes the part of Sleeping Beauty in the school play so he can be kissed by Prince Charming.
Ma vie en rose was written and directed by Belgian filmmaker Alain Berliner. He has created a good film here: it is successful because it shows clearly the perspectives of both the children and the parents in the story. Berliner presents the material in such a way that it is completely inoffensive from the beginning--even those who agree with the ethics challenged in this film are not likely to be offended. It's positive, actually, that the subject matter is not off-putting, because it makes the film more accessible, and allows us to focus on the characters rather than a contrived plot (which, unfortunately, is what most American films dealing with cross dressing offer).
A film like this relies heavily on the acting, and the central performance from the young Georges Du Fresne is an excellent one; Ludo, at the same time, is a fascinating character. He knows so certainly what is natural to him, what he wants, and yet, he's still willing to try and be "manly" for the sake of his parents. He attempts soccer, but is ultimately beat up by the other boys on the team. Ludo, at times like these, fantasizes about living in a dream world with the his favorite toys, flying through the blue sky over the pink houses he would love to live in.
The acting by Ecoffey and Laroque is incredibly good, as are the dialogue and interactions from Berliner's screenplay. The fights and arguments they have over Ludo's problem, and they way they go about dealing with the situation, is intense and realistic; at the same time, the characters are given full development. Berliner's direction is straightforward--there isn't a lot of intricate camera work, and much of it appears to have been shot with a handheld to give many of the scenes a visceral quality unusual to films of this kind.
Ma vie en rose is, perhaps, a little to light. There are funny moments here, and there should be; often, though, Berliner seems to avoid a certain amount heaviness that might have been appropriate for such a sobering subject matter. But I can also see how this avoidance might have a definite point--the film is not really about cross dressing, or even what becomes of Ludo in the long run. This is a film about accepting diversity, and realizing the innate and different qualities that some people have. I hold that Berliner didn't quite tap into this story's full potential, but the final product is still a film that presents its themes in a way that even skeptics might embrace.
*** out of **** (7/10, B)
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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