|
LA BUCHE Send This Review to a Friend
One of my favorites from the Rendez-vous With French Film Today series in 2000 was "La Buche," the first feature directed by Daniele Thompson, who already has had a long career as screenwriter of such films as "The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob," "Cousin, Cousine," and "Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train." It has now opened commercially and is definitely a treat for all who enjoy seeing a French import that represents French filmmaking at its most enjoyable.
The setting is the Christmas season in Paris. The family life under observation is a bundle of conflicts, all expected to disappear at this time of year. To the contrary in this big-hearted film, all problems and secrets burst to the surface amid the glitz and pressures of the holiday. The film's glossy, attractive look contrasts with the emotional turmoil raging within the characters. Yet the film is also alive with humor. The persistent ring of a phone is heard graveside during a funeral and nobody's instrument seems to be the culprit. The source amounts to the best cell phone gag I've encountered on screen.
The action swirls mainly around three sisters, one of whom is Louba, delightfully played by the charismatic and beautiful actress Sabine Azema, who sings in a Russian-style nightclub and is involved with a married lover. There are also Sonia (Emmanuelle Beart), headed for divorce, and Milla (Charlotte Gainsbourg), the youngest, who is moody and independent-spirited. As for their mother Yvette (Francoise Fabian), she has just buried her second husband, a musician, and her former husband Stanislas (Claude Rich), still nurses a grudge for her having left him. The daugthers have decided it would be nice if their long-estranged parents shared Christmas eve dinner, their past animosities notwithstanding. Another key character on the scene is Joseph (played by Christopher Thompson, the son of the director), who lives in Stanislas's storeroom in exchange for being a helper.
With all of these types, you can see the possibilities for a family album of complications and surprises. Thompson handles the parallel situations with style, and given the appeal of the cast, "La Buche" has flair, emotion, and humor and never ceases to be entertaining as the various crises are faced. It deserves a long life but is especially appropriate during the holiday season when many a family will be muddling through its own crises. An Empire Pictures release.
|