Jacques Audiard / France/Belgium / 2012 / 120mins
With Barnardo’s recent claim that some young fathers aren’t given the support they need to be involved in their children’s lives, Jacques Audiard’s charming depiction of a dad’s struggle to care for his son offers one possibility of how this relationship can develop. Living with sister Lousie (Céline Sallette), Alain (Matthias Schoenaerts) is stretched between his most recent dead-end job, training to become a fighter and looking after five-year-old Sam (Armand Verdure). After a terrible accident at work, killer whale trainer Stéphanie (Marion Cotillard) looks to Alain for companionship whilst suffering through rehabilitation.
Audiard’s unobtrusive and patient camera work exposes his characters’ strong emotions, depicting their elations and anguishes emphasising that although their situations are very different they all share a similar pain. Alain’s interest in boxing emphasises the brutality of their situations while the imprisoned orca become a forboding visual metaphor for the constraints of circumstance; Stéphanie‘s accident and Alain’s child.
Alain is an unlikely source of support. His relationship with Stéphanie mirrors that with his son; during easy times he’s relaxed and attentive but when things become harder he displays childish behavioural traits; impulsive decisions, violent outbursts and sudden departures. The role reversal of Stéphanie’s teaching Alain responsibility, maturity and bettering his parenting skills while physically assisted by him artfully portrays the difference between mind and body but also becomes a powerful image for the sense of accomplishment in overcoming your personal tribulations.
Audiard and Thomas Bidegain’s script is inherently melancholic but they balance the mood with tender, heart-warming moments (such as Stéphanie dancing in the wheelchair) that frequently penetrate the mists of gloominess. This enables you to easily identify with the character’s emotional turmoil, their difficulties in holding themselves together and their disappointments felt when they fail. Ultimately this means you invest more into them as characters, willing them to succeed. Despite the sombre air Audiard works hard to push an overall feeling of positivity, championing the premise of fighting to conquer your hardships whatever their scale.
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