THE BELIER FAMILY
France, 2014, 106 minutes, Colour.
Karin Viard, François Damiens, Ericmosninno, Louane Emera, Roxane Duran, Ilian Bergala, Luca Gelberg.
Directed by Eric Lartigau.
The Belier Family proved to be a box-office charmer for French audiences. It seems to have had something of the same effect for audiences around the world.
One could say that it is a typical enough French film, a focus on characters, a focus on family and their interactions, some meals (as always), life in a small town, opportunities, disappointments, ultimate success.
What distinguishes it from other films is it sense of humanity. This is especially the case with the character of Paula, the teenager daughter of the Belier Family, still at school, listening to music on her headphones always, chatting with her best friend, Mathilde, going with her to enrol in a special activity and choosing choir, with a glance at a boy in the other line, Gabriel.
But what distinguishes it from other films even more strongly is the fact that Paula’s parents and her younger brother are both hearing impaired, death and unable to speak except in sign language. We first discover this when Paula is helping her father and a vet in the birth of a calf. Her parents are farmers, with cattle, with tractors working in the fields with crops, making cheese. The family has a stall in the market, and are well-known to the locals, especially the Mayor of the town who is rather patronising, is making adaptations to modern change, and is up from re-election.
The actors portraying mother and father and not hearing-impaired and do a fine job of acting and signing, the bearded father looking rather patriarchal, the harassed mother generally smiling broadly.
What is significant for Paula, apart from the fact that she is able to hear and speak, quite articulately, attracted to listening to music, is that she is singled out by the eccentric music teacher at the school (who is heard initially inveighing against education authorities, desperate to move from the provinces to Paris, but not succeeding). She auditions, and the teacher suggests that she sing a duet with Gabriel. He also advises her to practice and to do an audition for a Paris music school, sponsored by Radio France. This means a lot of the time with the instructor, with Gabriel – although, she has a crisis when she has her first period and is embarrassed with Gabriel and angry with his telling the girls at school. This undermines the possibility for the duet.
When she sings at a concert, her parents are in admiration – although the director turns down the sound so that the audience sits with the family, unable to hear anything, simply watching.
There has been a clash because her father has decided to stand for Mayor to combat the incumbent, has photo shoots, television interviews, which clash with Paula’s lesson time. Eventually she tells her parents and they are very disappointed, not wanting to lose her, not quite understanding her passion for singing as well as her talent.
It wouldn’t be a nice French film if there wasn’t happy ending, a touch of comedy and everybody getting into Paris, and even getting lost, and quite some pathos as her parents are present during the audition and she sings a song with telling lyrics about someone having to move out of home, leave her parents, develop her talent.
And just when you think, as the final credits come up, there are a lot of loose ends in the storytelling, there is a gallery of photos to accompany these credits which fill in the story of her studies in Paris, relationship with Gabriel, the future of her family – and whether her father became mayor or not!
1. The French film? The French audiences? World audiences?
2. The Family, the family unit, hearing impaired, parents and letting go?
3. Normandy, the town, the farm, cattle, tractors and the fields? The school, homes, the hall?
4. The musical score, the range of songs, French style?
5. The title, the family, the parents of the being deaf, Paula as able to speak and fear? Home life, work, the birth of the calf, the working the fields, making the cheese, at the market, a family working together?
6. A young girl, teenage, the circumstances, family, friends, the singing talent, possibilities?
7. The father, his appearance, patriarchal, fond of his family, affectionate, the relationship with his wife, sexual – and the visit to the doctor, her rash, his not wanting to use the lotion? The cheese and the market, sales? The politics of the town, the mayor and his coming to the store, the decisions about the town, change? The father deciding to stand for Mayor, the photo opportunities, television interviews, Paula translating and not translating? The campaign, the meeting, his insulting the people and challenging them? Seeing him as the mayor during the final credits?
8. The mother, the family, her smile, making the cheese, the domestic sequences, the relationship with her children? The visit to the doctor? Participating in the campaign, the photos? The support?
9. Paula’s brother, age, part of the family, deaf? Mathilde, Paula’s friend, the brother teaching her sign language, the sexual encounter, his rash and allergy?
10. Paula, her age, the birth of the calf, at school, sleeping during class, learning Spanish? The friendship with Mathilde and their discussing everything, antagonism towards Karen? The decision to go to the choir, the choirmaster, singling her out, the duet with Gabriel, the songs and its lyrics? The plan for the duet, for the audition, the special coaching? Her reactions, the lessons, not telling her parents? At home, her room, listening to music, on the bus? Her work at the market? Her first period, the shock? Gabriel present? Karen and her mockery? Paula slapping Gabriel, not talking? Upset?
11. Continuing the training, the personality of the teacher, his anger at not getting promotion to Paris? In the provincial town? The auditions, acceptance and rejection? Singling out Paula, encouraging her voice, encouraging Gabriel? The lessons at his home? The Spanish teacher and the relationship? Paula and the campaign, not translating for the television, her being upset, telling her parents, their reactions? Going to the teacher in the rain, his refusal?
12. Explanation, the reconciliation, the family being together?
13. At the concert, the parents and brother, the sound track going down, the audience sharing the experience of watching but not hearing with the family? Applause, happy, Paula taking the air, her father encouraging her? Singing for him, his holding her vocal chords?
14. Going to Paris, early in the morning, getting lost in Paris, late for the audition, the emotion, Gabriel going to the teacher, their driving to Paris? The audition, the choice of song, the accompanist not ready, the teacher stepping in, Paula’s nerves, heartfelt singing, the response of the panel, her parents’ response, the lyrics and the farewell to parents and going out on one’s own?
15. The photos during the credits, Paula studying in Paris, relationship with Gabriel, the father became the Mayor, the family?
