MA VRAIE VIE EN ROUEN
France, 2002, 106 minutes, Colour.
Jimmy Tavares, Lucas Bonnifait, Ariane Ascaride, Jonathan Zaccaoe, Elaine Surgere.
Directed by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau.
Ma Vraie Vie en Rouen is a semi-autobiographical story from the two writer-directors. Olivier Ducastel grew up in the city of Rouen and Jacques Martineau was, like the hero of the film, a figure-skater.
The film focuses on a boy who receives a video camera for his sixteenth birthday and does a video diary, especially focusing on his mother at home and at her work in the bookshop as well as on his figure-skating practice. He also takes the camera to school, photographs a friend and interrogates him about his sexual prowess, he also focuses on one of his teachers who eventually begins a relationship with his mother.
The film also shows the coming of age of the boy, his gradual awareness of his sexual orientation and this precipitates him into a crisis, failing in the skating championship, repelling his friend, clashing with the teacher, encountering a stranger after he contemplates suicide.
The film uses the video camera style to create its characters, observe them. In its portrait of young boy, it focuses on some of the cliches of the homo-erotic films while it also explores the sixteen-year-old's attempts to understand himself, especially through photography.
1. The interest in the film? Its visual style, the video diary, its slice of life, its impromptu filming, interrogations, editing?
2. The title, the city of Rouen, homes, shops, schools, skating rink? The scenes at the coast, the cliffs and the sea? The musical score? The range of songs, classical music, Strauss, Schubert, Beethoven, Rossini, Bizet?
3. The insight into an adolescent, the transition from fifteen to sixteen, his lack of self-awareness, his sexual orientation and its discovery, the voyeurism of the camera, self-absorption, relationship to friend, teacher? A growing prurience? His narcissism, his work, skating, himself, his body?
4. The character of Etienne, at home, his relationship with his mother? His loving grandmother, the gift of the video camera? His school background, his friendship with Ludovic? His skating, the intensity of his practice? The random taking of pictures, following his mother, at home, at work? At school, the geography teacher? The interest in the teacher and his relationship with his mother? Becoming more prurient about his mother? Ludovic, his stories? His filming Ludovic, the sexual encounter? The discussion with Ludovic, Ludovic rebuffing him? His photographing Laurent, the homo-eroticism, the clash with him, Laurent and his injury? Etienne and his touch of despair, the contemplation of suicide? The cliff, the stranger and his being saved, their sexual encounter? _. The rest of his life?
5. The portrait of Ludovic, his age, school, shared companionship, study, his boasting to the camera, enhancing the stories, his girlfriend, their sexual encounter? His reaction to Etienne suggesting aspects of his sexuality? Rebuffing him?
6. Caroline, her love for her son, at home, her work in the bookstore, the encounter with Laurent, the relationship, at home? The object of Etienne's curiosity? Prurience?
7. Laurent, at school, geography classes, being filmed? His meeting Caroline, their friendship, the relationship, his moving in? Etienne's reaction, in the garden, shirtless, being filmed? The clash with Etienne, the fall and his injury?
8. A glimpse of French provincial life, the attention to detail, the mundane detail - yet, the revelation of an adolescent and his coming to awareness?
