A SELF-MADE HERO
(UN HEROS TRES DISCRET)
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 8.0 Alternative Scale: ***1/2 out of ****
France, 1996
U.S. Release Date: Fall 1997
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Mature themes, profanity, sex,
brief nudity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, Opening Night
(4/30/97)
Cast: Mathieu Kassovitz, Anouk Grinberg, Sandrine Kiberlain, Albert Dupontel, Nadia Barentin, Jean-Louis Trintignant Director: Jacques Audiard Producer: Patrick Godeau Screenplay: Alain Le Henry and Jacques Audiard from the book by Jean-Francois Deniau Cinematography: Jean-Marc Fabre Music: Alexandre Desplat U.S. Distributor: Strand Releasing In French with subtitles
Have you ever wished that you could become someone else? That, without regard for the consequences, you could shed your current personality like an old shirt and slip into something more comfortable? If so, then you'll be intrigued by the premise of A SELF-MADE HERO, director Jacques Audiard's smart, fascinating, satirical meditation on the flexibility of identity.
The film opens in modern-day France, with an unseen interviewer asking questions of a seventy-something man named Albert Dehousse (international film icon Jean-Louis Trintignant). As Albert begins to talk about his past, we see it unfold on screen -- his childhood in rural, pre-World War II France, his life during the German occupation, and, finally, how he rose to prominence in the wake of the Allied liberation. And, while A SELF-MADE HERO's narrative traces Albert's life during the 1940s, a pseudo-documentary overlay offers occasional commentary and observations from those who once knew Albert.
In Lambersart, France during 1944, twenty-six year old Albert (Mathieu Kassovitz) lives his life as if no war is under progress. Despite childhood dreams of going into battle and becoming a great hero, he is content to marry a pretty blond (Sandrine Kiberlain), take a job as a salesman, and stay out of the Germans' way. Then, after the Liberation, he learns that his father-in-law was an important member of the Resistance, and, feeling overwhelmed by inadequacy, Albert flees Lambersart for Paris, where, with the help of a mysterious friend named "The Captain" (Albert Dupontel), he re-invents himself as a high-ranking member of the Resistance. Through a combination of hard work, good fortune, and brashness, Albert makes the right connections and ends up as an important player in the post-war order. But, when he falls in love with the vivacious Servane (Anouk Grinberg), he wonders about the psychological penalty of keeping the truth from her.
A SELF-MADE HERO has an extraordinarily perceptive script that asks a lot of complex questions but doesn't insult its audience by offering simple answers. At the same time, it's a lot of fun. Audiard has designed this film as part-drama, part satire, and there are times when the movie's pointed comedy is worth more than a perfunctory chuckle. And the often-ironic "documentary interview" segments, which add a layer of verisimilitude to the project, open a window onto how modern-day Parisians view their history of fifty years ago.
Best of all, Albert's story is genuinely interesting. He's a fascinating character whose self-propelled transformation is a pleasure to watch. Mathieu Kassovitz (the director of HATE, who is just functioning as an actor here) does a superlative job conveying the many layers of Albert's personality: his early desperation, his growing confidence when he realizes that his scheme can succeed, and his uncertainty when he realizes that his decisions have the power of life and death. Top-notch supporting performances are turned in by Sandrine Kiberlain and Albert Dupontel (both of whom were nominated for Caesars), as well as Anouk Grinberg.
Albert isn't the only individual with an ambiguous identity. His late father's reputation is clouded by uncertainty. Did he, as Albert's mother claims, die as a war hero fighting for his country, or, as town rumor asserts, was his death the result of unchecked drinking? And, later in the film, after Albert has established his reputation, he is sent to Germany to weed out collaborators posing as work camp inmates. His success at that job is the result of his own intimate knowledge of how to invent a convincing life story.
At the heart of A SELF-MADE HERO is a simple question: Who am I, and can I be a different person? The Captain indicates that there's no such thing as a fixed identity -- losers can successfully disguise themselves as winners, cowards as heroes, and devils as saints. It's all a matter of confidence and dedication. Albert notes that "the best lives are invented", and goes on to prove his words by actions. This concept has great appeal today, when so many feel uprooted and unsure of who they are or where they're going. A SELF-MADE HERO offers an ambitious portrait of one man who used an alternative path to realize his dreams only to discover that the richest fiction can never truly supplant reality.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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