COMME UNE IMAGE/ LOOK AT ME
France, 2004, 110 minutes, Colour.
Marilou Berry, Agnes Jaoui, Jean- Pierre Bacri, Laurent Grevill, Keine Bouhiza.
Directed by Agnes Jaoui.
This is a very civilized, intelligent and witty adult drama. It takes us into a world of celebrity and would-be celebrity, a world that might be tempting but which would quickly pall in real life.
There are several central stories which intertwine. They are very well acted. We are asked to give our sympathies to a 20 year old who wants to be a classical singer. She has no self-image (except that she is talentless and overweight) and no self-esteem – which is not helped by her extraordinarily self-absorbed father with low frustration tolerance of everyone and everything, including his daughter. They are played perfectly by Marilou Berry and co-writer, Jean- Pierre Bacri.
Director and co-writer, Agnes Jaoui, plays a music teacher, a sympathetic woman, one who gives some values focus to the proceedings. She is married to a temperamental novelist, Laurent Grevill, who comes to bask in the reflection of the selfish writer and publicist.
There are a number of other interesting characters, an elderly agent, a young journalist and members of a choir.
It is the intelligence and wit of the dialogue that keeps the film absorbing and the plight of the daughter and the it-has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed offhand and cruel behaviour of the father. Very French, but universal appeal.
1. The title? The different nuance in the English title? As applied to each of the central characters?
2. The French style of the film, characters, situations, interactions, dialogue? The musical score – the choir and the classical music?
3. The director, writing and acting, her husband as the co-writer?
4. The focus on Lolita, her age, 20, her weight, her self-consciousness, the image? Comparisons with the fashion magazines? Her father and his disregard for criticism? Her relationship with her father, his being a famous novelist? In the choir, her friends and associates? Sylvia and the singing, the coaching? Discovering Lolita's father was the novelist? Wanting access to him for the novelist husband? Lolita liking Sylvia, confiding in her, Sylvia's change of heart? Lolita, the encounter with Sebastien, fainting? His attention to her, her wariness of him? Her own attachment to Matthieu? Matthieu and his interest in her father? His behaviour? The performance, the choir? Her reaction to Sebastien, believing him?
5. Etienne as novelist, egotistic, his treatment of people, tone, manner? The treatment of his daughter? His young wife, attitude? The stepsister? The way that people saw him? His prestige? People wanting to make contact? Pierre and his manuscript?
6. Sylvia, teacher, her relationship with Pierre, his being a novelist, his own self-interest? Sylvia using Lolita? It changing when Lolita confided in her? Her changing point of view on Etienne? Pierre, liking Etienne, the access to him the consequences of his success, his experience of the television program?
7. Sebastien, the encounter with Lolita, a decent young man, liking her? Lolita's reaction? Change? The contrast with Matthieu and his being self-serving? The role of Vincent, being a hanger on?
8. Lolita, perseverance, the singing, the results, a growing in self-consciousness for the better?
