MADAME HYDE

France, 2017, 95 minutes, Colour.
Isabelle Huppert, Romain Duris, Serge Garcia.
Directed by Serge Bozon.

Robert Louis Stevenson created a classic novel in the 19th century with his Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It has been filmed many times and Have Been many novels with variations of the plot, external respectability, inner evil let loose.

This time the basic plot has been transferred to France in the 21st-century. The setting is a school, courses for technical students and higher education courses. The principal of the school, played rather smugly and as a dandy by Romain Duris, is snobbish about the levels of education.

Madame Hyde of the story is, surprisingly, played by Isabelle Huppert. She is Marie Gequiel, something of a mousey woman, in the education system 35 years, still wanting a higher accreditation. She loves science and is a physics teacher. However, teaching is not quite the right word to describe the classes. She is timid, she lacks control, the students continually mock her, ignore her. Her husband tries to advise her about silent entrance, sitting, staring – which she follows but the students laugh at her again.

The leader of the students is a disabled young man, Malik, who excels in the mockery – but, with his walking disability is not followed outside the classroom by the students, nor are the girls attracted to him..

One night, Marie is in laboratory and there is a lightning strike. She is affected – and it looks something like a scene from a Frankenstein film – and her interior Madame Hyde is unleashed. This gives her a greater confidence though she is not quite aware of why this is so. However, at night, when she can’t sleep, an inner glow transforms her, the personality of Madame Hyde. Marie is not conscious of this in itself as she wanders the streets, sits in parks, approaches the group of students – touching one and setting him on fire and killing him.

In the meantime, she does have a success with the class project, the students being interested, the inspector brought in because of criticisms of her is also very impressed. The students ask questions – and the headmaster decides to give her an award. Because Malik has identified her as the glowing presence, she rings the police, goes to class, is arrested.

The film ends six months later with Malik at another school explaining the impact of his teacher who is both Jekyll and Hyde.

1. The title? Robert Louis Stevenson? Jekyll and Hyde? Audience interest in this interpretation?

2. Stevenson’s story, the outer respectability, the inner evil? Transferred to the 21st century? France? The school?

3. The French interpretation, the female character, ordinary – even less than ordinary? The transformation, the lightning, the echoes Frankenstein? The inner fire and her outer glow? Her losing consciousness of her ordinary life? Killing and destroying?

4. Marie, her age, relationship with husband, his being at home, cooking, his love and encouragement? Advice for her class? Disturbed by the neighbours reported about her at night?

5. The 35 years teaching, failing accreditation, her love for science, physics? Her lacking control class, their mocking her? The meeting, the complaints of the girls, inspectors having been in classes, the girls wanting more, wanting to touch the machines – but Marie thinking they were still children? The headmaster, presiding at the meeting? The teachers?

6. The headmaster, the touch of the dandy, his poses? His putting technical courses at a lower level than main education? His admiration for brains and intelligence? Calling in the inspectors? The meetings, the discussions with Marie, the nature of the system? His being an opportunist for the development of school?

7. Science, audience interest, the screenplay and the attention to physics details? The teaching, the lessons? The students and the lack of interests? Ridicule? Malik, the others, the effect on Marie?

8. The experience, the decision about the Project, working in the laboratory, Marie alone, the lightning, the transformation?

9. Malik, Middle Eastern background, his father meeting Marie at the pool? His being disabled? His leadership in class, the girls not attracted to him? The details of the mockery and ridicule? The scenes of his disability? Marie, taking him to the laboratory, the demonstration of the lines and connections between points? Malik having to think? The effect? His later discussion about the girl and the size of the triangle and thinking?

10. The change in class, the project, the interest, the inspector and the demonstration, the students asking questions, the girl in the case and an illustration of physics, the explanations?

11. Marie, the inner glow, Madame Hyde, the neighbour seeing her, reporting her to Pierre? Marie, going to the group, the young men, the singing and chatter? The death? Malik recognising her?

12. The principal, pleased with the inspection of the project, acknowledging the role of technical courses? Awarding Marie the medal? Her leaving? Phoning the police, her arrest?

13. Malik, six months later, at another school, his explanations about Marie, as both Jekyll and Hyde?

14. A puzzling contemporary parable?