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La Vie en Rose review
:. Director: Olivier Dahan
:. Starring: Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud
:. Running Time: 2:10
:. Year: 2007
:. Country: France
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As I was telling director Olivier Dahan, I never liked Edith Piaf: her voice gets so under my skin that I would almost prefer watching a Leo Carax marathon - if you are familiar with my writings, you probably already know that, under my plume, this not a good thing. But, to continue with what I was telling Dahan, if you like a movie despite the fact that you despise its subject, this means you are in front of a successful work.
Dahan, whose filmography is unequal, from the dark and intense Déjà Mort to the quite awful Crimson Rivers 2, was never a Piaf fan and that's certainly what made his film work, as he had enough distance to avoid the traps of the biopic sub-genre, which often turns into a subjective look of admiration or plain pathos.
His Piaf is a harsh drunk, an egoistic figure whose voice is often the only redeemable quality. She's the fruit of a rough street life and unbalanced childhood, which explains her behavior and makes her unique — you know that talent allied to a difficult upbringing is always advantageous when it comes to climbing the stairs of stardom. The fact that the filmmaker never tries to judge or redeem her gives this biopic a welcome neutrality, leaving you the freedom to make up your mind about La Môme.
Dahan paints the portrait of a vampire who feeds on her entourage. She never writes a song, abandons those who embarrass her and acts like a diva. While it would be easy to say she had a tough life, it can also be said she had a lucky life thanks to her only asset, her voice. She's a figure built on contrasts, which is what the script aims at showing us. But what Dahan is also showing us, which will make this film even more appealing to American audience, is that Edith Piaf is Paris. She symbolizes the Parisian lifestyle, making people travel to the streets of Montmartre and St Germain through her voice — in a way, La Vie en Rose succeeds where Amelie fails, mostly because it uses an authentic figure, rather than a fake character built on nostalgia.
What might be problematic however is the fact that Dahan willingly leaves some things out, more particularly the period of the occupation, Piaf's affair with French star Yves Montand and her child. The director claims that none of these facts were of interest to his vision of the singer, but what he forgets is that spectators would certainly like to know about this, which leaves them with a somewhat incomplete look.
The writer/director alternates between Piaf's youth and her last days, which breaks the boring chronological pattern used in that sub-genre. The cinematography is washed out and grainy, giving you the feel you're watching some old footage. The direction is subtle, avoiding glamorization, lyricism and pathos.
But of course, you couldn't end without mentioning Marion Cotillard's performance (Love Me if You Dare, A Good Year); the actress sinks into her role to give you a rough and uninhibited performance that is the essence of this film.
Fred Thom
 Reviews of French Movies: 2012 - present
French Films: 1998 - 2011 Reviews
French Music Reviews
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