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STANDING TALL Send This Review to a Friend
How does one rescue a juvenile delinquent instead of giving up on him and letting him go hopelessly go down the drain or even wind up inflicting irreparable harm upon others? That is the issue posed in this disturbing but constantly riveting film from France, compellingly directed by Emmanuelle Bercot from an astute screenplay that she co-wrote with Marcia Romano. “Standing Tall” is driven by two outstanding performances, along with other very good ones.
The delinquent in question is played by the amazing Rod Paradot as Malony, whose performance synthesizes the various components of his damaged psyche and personality. He becomes a teenager who is given to outrageous outbursts of venom and lack of control, yet who, as Paradot conveys, is inwardly aware of his problem and frustrated that he isn’t able to assert self-control. Paradot also convincingly reflects the stricken character’s yearning to love and be loved. Can Malony be salvaged?
The other performance that makes the film work is that of Catherine Deneuve, here superb as juvenile court judge Florence Blaque, who presides over Malony’s case when she first encounters him as a child and has jurisdiction until he reaches maturity. What should she do with him? Incarcerate him as a delinquent? Send him to adult prison? How many chances should he get?
We see on Deneuve’s face and in her demeanor the pain she is experiencing in coping with her difficult task. Her patience collides with what Malony does to make her task seem impossible, and yet she conveys the judge’s determination not to give up. It is one of Deneuve’s especially memorable performances.
Along the way we see another strong performance by Sara Forestier as Malony’s messed-up single mother, who also has a younger son. Her life is a shambles marked by seeking refuge in drugs, and she herself is so needy that she isn’t capable of dealing with Malony, whose personality she has helped shape by her wanting to abandon him when he is an obstreperous child. Forestier makes one feel for the mother even while losing patience with her.
There is also Tess, the girl whom Malony meets and becomes enamored with, as she is with him, even though he forces their initial sexual encounter. Diane Rouxel portrays her sympathetically, as she too has to deal with Malony’s erratic behavior and impulsive rejections.
We also meet characters in the social system as we watch Malony go through all of the opportunities he is given, along with his punishments. There is an ever-deepening relationship with the judge as his potential savior or the one who can condemn him to the scrap heap, and it is fascinating to watch the legal dance that occurs between them.
While the film ends in a burst of optimism, without questioning the story’s effectiveness, I was left wondering whether, given all we have seen about Malony’s behavior, what his life would really be like in the future. Would he thrive as a survivor, or relapse into self-destructive behavior and as a result, perhaps do harm to others? It is the film’s strength that it can make one ponder both Malony’s fate and think about the whole system beyond this individual case study. And while the story takes place in France, a viewer can easily transpose the situation to one that could occur right here at home. But would there be such a determined and sympathetic judge who could take such pains for so long within our overburdened court system? A Cohen Media release. Reviewed April 1, 2016.
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