Cinema Dérive - MERCI LA VIE (1991)
MERCI LA VIE (1991)
Directed by Bertrand Blier
117 minutes
In French with English subtitles
This is another film by one of my favorite French film directors, Bertrand Blier, whose epic journeys are damn rarely ever seen outside his home country. They are surreal and full of sharp black humor and wild unpredictable storylines.... and very often they are too complex for the American market mentality, so you can expect something much richer than fast-food cinema. I have screened many of his films over the years (Buffet froid, Les valseuses, 123 Sun, Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, Beau père), and I am happy to be screening this one finally!
In a way it can be seen as a more modern version of his first film Les valseuses, except that instead of men it centers on two teenage girls, Camille (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and Joelle (Anouk Grinberg). Camille is a naive schoolgirl who encounters the more free-spirited and experienced Joelle. Camille then follows her new friend through the discovery of sex and the wilder, sometimes darker, sides of life. Although the film takes place in France in the 90s, it doesn't stick to any one timeline, and we follow the girls as they time-shift throughout the movie, throwing light on how we perceive so-called "reality".
Expect all of your preconceptions and expectations about cinema to be shaken up and smashed to bits... this is a film that is different in its very essence - not a formula film with simply a different subject matter. Here's what European cinema used to be all about. Also starring Gerard Depardieu and featuring music by Philip Glass, Beethoven, David Byrne, Chopin, and Vivaldi.
Doors open at 19:30
Film starts at 20:00
