Dir. Eric Lartigau, France, 2010, 115 mins, in French with subtitles
Cast: Roman Duris, Catherine Deneuve, Marna Fois
Review by Simona Gauri
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. ~ Nelson Mandela”
This is the story of metamorphosis – of a fake life which finds its true nature through a lie. Paul (Romain Duris) is a rich and successful lawyer who loves his wife Sarah (Marina Fois), is mad about his two kids, and enjoys spending time with his family. Playful, dedicated, human and good-natured, he has given up his dream of being a photographer to let Sarah realize hers of being a writer. Instead he has built a career in a more secure field and renounced to his creative talent to build a solid future for his family. Now he has a wonderful villa in the country, just outside Paris, where Sarah and the kids can enjoy green-living and every comfort. He has everything to be happy about. Sometimes though, when he is in his elegant office in Paris, a black and white picture of an athlete training on a solitary pier on the wall in front of his desk reminds him of his youthful ambitions, piercing the envelope of his perfect life.
But is Paul just pretending to be happy? Sometimes when he is at home in the well equipped photographer’s studio that he doesn’t have time to use any more or when Sarah sleeps at night without hearing the baby crying, he wonders if there is something wrong. But he just waves the thought away and concentrates on his life.
Then he finds himself faced with evidence he can no longer ignore. Sarah is always angry with him, they don’t share sex, she avoids his kisses. She also wants to quit her writing and says she is tired of staying at home with the kids. She accuses him of having imprisoned her in a golden cage. The fairy-tale is miserably collapsing on itself. It doesn’t take long for Paul to realizes that Sarah is having an affair with their neighbour, Gregoire (Eric Ruf), who, to rub salt into the wound, is a photographer and a bad one at that. Attractive in his careless and relaxed look, Gregoire shows off his deals with National Geographic and hides his lack of talent with his ability to tell adventurous stories he has never lived, which is enough to feed Sarah’s hunger for love and affection. When Sarah asks Paul for divorce, he realizes that his two beloved kids don’t even resemble him: Gregoire is their father. He decides to confront Gregoire but their conversation ends tragically and accidentally in murder. It’s the beginning of the metamorphosis, both interior and exterior.
Instead of giving himself up to the police, Paul decides to become Gregoire and live the life he has always wanted. He simulates his own death, disposes of Gregoire’s corpse, forges his documents and takes possession of his mobile phone and computer to communicate with Sarah. Then he leaves Paris and drives Gregoire’s car to the small village in Hungary, where the black and white picture that hung in his office was taken. Here in this out-of-the-world spot of quiet peasant life, he will find his true self.
But lies are lies and when his passion and talent for photography compels “Gregoire to face the world again, the second fairy tale of his life has to come to an end. Eventually he finds his true freedom in Italy, when he abandons both “Paul” and “Gregoire” and is left with just who he really is.
Despite the excessive and not always clear twists and turns of the plot, The Big Picture (the French title “the man who wanted to live his life” describes the story better) is a beautiful parable, not only about identity but also the difficult task of listening to our inner selves, fulfilling our desire to live the life we have always wanted and paying the price for happiness. The film is good on detail and psychological nuance, Duris gives a bravura performance, and the film is also enriched with a delightful cameo in the early part of the film from Catherine Deneuve as his business partner.
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