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Un air de Famille (1995) Klapisch
Who let the dogs out?
The set-up? A family gathers at a son's café for an aperitif before their weekly jaunt to the swanky restaurant down the street. (Un)fortunately, someone's running a little late, so they have sit and wait ... and maybe talk to one another.
This film was originally a successful stage play co-written by Agnès Jaoui (Betty, the sister) and Jean-Pierre Bacri (Henri, one of the sons) That entire cast was reunited for the film version: so they know by heart, every gag and dramatic beat in the film. The title "Un air de Famille" means both a family resemblance and a place for family.
The father has passed away long ago, and exists only as a name on the wall outside--but not before their mother divorced his sorry *ss. Henri inherited the café from him. It's interesting how the structure of the family has not only remained the same over the years but certain patterns seem to repeat as grown-ups. The idea that Henri will turn into his old man is a future he's clearly destined for.
Although Betty has no trouble speaking her mind and telling off idiots in the real world, she hasn't quite emancipated herself with regards to her family. A look or a word from them can cut her to the quick. It's interesting that Betty is also not far from "bêtise" (a stupidity) She's walking on egg shells because she already knows brother Philippe is going to hit the roof, the moment he finds out what happened at the office earlier that day. Henri soon joins her when he finds out the reason for his wife's tardiness. The thing of it is, Henri and Betty know all the criticisms by heart, they've heard them a million times and already anticipate the torrent of slings and arrows that are going to rain down upon them. So Henri is hoping against hope that he can escape the evening without them discovering the truth.
The Mother is a great creation: she barges in and sprints the length of the café to take a whiz in the ladies room in the basement. When she comes out, she apologizes to ... the dog for not stopping to say hello earlier. Excuse me, I got that wrong. First she berates Henri, because much like himself, the light bulbs in the basement are too dim to be of any use, so could he replace them pretty please---then she goes back to smother Caruso (the dog) with affectation. To make her point that Henri is shiftless to Philippe and Yolande, she takes them outside, where she envisions a "ka-ching ka-ching" garden terrace. A nice reverse from across the street instantly kills that idea, revealing the space is basically a dirt driveway with a sliver of grass. When opening your club or restaurant, there are three things to keep in mind: Location, location, location. Being situated next to a busy railway crossing makes this café more of a dislocation.
Ownership and objectification are the main ideas here. This family belongs to the mother lock, stock and barrel. It's hers to do with as she pleases, and long ago she's decided which child would smack the home run and who will be on the sidelines watching. She actually mentions with pride how her own mother in her great wisdom took one look at Henri when he was two days old and said "This kid's going to be complete dud." Philippe's wife, Yolande (Catherine Frot) also mentions how one of her boys (the difficult one) is being deliberately spiteful by getting sick on her. Both Philippe and the mother are threatened by Denis (the barman) and ask Henri to please curb his observations, as an outsider, he's not allowed commentary in their private club.
Yolande. Okay, granted that she's a bit of a ditz. Philippe openly calls her yoyo. But she's priceless comedic quicksilver. Two drinks and she's flying. Her slow motion reactions are priceless---the cake scene is the three minute version of their marriage. But she's warm and loving and wonderful. There's an almost painful placement of her in the background, sandwiched visually between his mother and Philippe. His inattention to her is obvious.
Philippe has been the little prince his entire life. He attracts so much care and attention, that Henri becomes invisible whenever he's around. Henri has to struggle just to be heard. To his discredit, Philippe cancelled a long awaited vacation with Yolande just to do the television spot, under the mistaken belief it's of such earth shattering importance. Yolande makes the observation (being a little tipsy) that referring to him as Monsieur the Director is largely a pretense, since that post belongs to someone three places higher up in the company.
It's interesting that Philippe knows what an odious person Benito (the number three man at the company) is. He's a pig that enjoys making everyone's lives miserable merely to elevate himself, but he fails to realize, he does exactly the same thing with his own family. He can't help slipping in Henri's pet name from childhood, "riri" (ha ha) which might best be interpreted here as meaning "hey stupid" or using Betty as a prop that has to endure one of his screaming fits.
That's used three times briefly. The first two times it's used as a temporal device, indicating a block of time has passed. However the third time, Betty actually sees what Henri has told her, that he's always been forced to play the fool since childhood.
The only difficulty with the film is that it's constructed through constant elision. Henri and Arlette (his wife) have had a spat earlier in the morning but that's missing from the film. He's making a serious effort to please her. Everyone double takes and wonders why the hell is he so dressed up for? Betty's scene in the office isn't there. Henri is talked into the romantic gesture by Denis and Betty but what he did or said in the courtyard is left to the imagination. And of course the warm and fuzzy memory that the grown-up children collectively remember actually belongs to the mother. This reflects the endless negative reinforcement she has used over the years to keep them frozen in these crippling relationships. Gad! I'm making this appear so wretched, but take my word for it, this is actually funny stuff.
There's exquisite framing by the director that reveals hidden relationships. Betty is talking with Denis and Henri enters and busts his balls about slacking off and chases him back to work. Not long afterwards, the conversation turns to romance and Betty is now at the bar; Denis is washing dishes in the kitchen and Henri is placed between them. This framing instantly reveals her problem: she fears that Henri (and the family) wouldn't accept Denis. There's also a few shots later of Denis waiting hopefully by the window for Arlette, mirroring the same gesture done by Betty earlier in the film, her relationship with Denis (which she says is only casual) deepens by the comparison.
On the surface, nothing ground shattering seems to have happened; yet I'm assuming everything has. During the film Philippe has gradually lost all his lustre,to the point he's just a simpering, mamma's boy and one who's easily confused to boot. The fantasy of him being a world shaker exists only between him and his mother. Yolande has also won some autonomy, as Philippe is now visually placed in the background between her and his mother, as it should be---and she's warned him to be nicer.
Probably what I liked best about the film is the just the tiny shifts in perception that allows these characters to change. The way Denis nudges them in the right direction: his observation that Betty is more like Henri rather than Philippe is a revelation to her; she had always thought the opposite. Each little success seems to embolden the other, to the point where together they mutually move out of the supporting roles they've been assigned to become movie stars in their lives. Henri has let go of his dad's macho bullsh** because he's rather have his wife with him then living without her; one can't stress enough how insignificant that may appear to be, but how much of a game changer it really is.
Un air de Famille
Who let the dogs out?
The set-up? A family gathers at a son's café for an aperitif before their weekly jaunt to the swanky restaurant down the street. (Un)fortunately, someone's running a little late, so they have sit and wait ... and maybe talk to one another.
This film was originally a successful stage play co-written by Agnès Jaoui (Betty, the sister) and Jean-Pierre Bacri (Henri, one of the sons) That entire cast was reunited for the film version: so they know by heart, every gag and dramatic beat in the film. The title "Un air de Famille" means both a family resemblance and a place for family.
The father has passed away long ago, and exists only as a name on the wall outside--but not before their mother divorced his sorry *ss. Henri inherited the café from him. It's interesting how the structure of the family has not only remained the same over the years but certain patterns seem to repeat as grown-ups. The idea that Henri will turn into his old man is a future he's clearly destined for.
Although Betty has no trouble speaking her mind and telling off idiots in the real world, she hasn't quite emancipated herself with regards to her family. A look or a word from them can cut her to the quick. It's interesting that Betty is also not far from "bêtise" (a stupidity) She's walking on egg shells because she already knows brother Philippe is going to hit the roof, the moment he finds out what happened at the office earlier that day. Henri soon joins her when he finds out the reason for his wife's tardiness. The thing of it is, Henri and Betty know all the criticisms by heart, they've heard them a million times and already anticipate the torrent of slings and arrows that are going to rain down upon them. So Henri is hoping against hope that he can escape the evening without them discovering the truth.
The Mother is a great creation: she barges in and sprints the length of the café to take a whiz in the ladies room in the basement. When she comes out, she apologizes to ... the dog for not stopping to say hello earlier. Excuse me, I got that wrong. First she berates Henri, because much like himself, the light bulbs in the basement are too dim to be of any use, so could he replace them pretty please---then she goes back to smother Caruso (the dog) with affectation. To make her point that Henri is shiftless to Philippe and Yolande, she takes them outside, where she envisions a "ka-ching ka-ching" garden terrace. A nice reverse from across the street instantly kills that idea, revealing the space is basically a dirt driveway with a sliver of grass. When opening your club or restaurant, there are three things to keep in mind: Location, location, location. Being situated next to a busy railway crossing makes this café more of a dislocation.
Ownership and objectification are the main ideas here. This family belongs to the mother lock, stock and barrel. It's hers to do with as she pleases, and long ago she's decided which child would smack the home run and who will be on the sidelines watching. She actually mentions with pride how her own mother in her great wisdom took one look at Henri when he was two days old and said "This kid's going to be complete dud." Philippe's wife, Yolande (Catherine Frot) also mentions how one of her boys (the difficult one) is being deliberately spiteful by getting sick on her. Both Philippe and the mother are threatened by Denis (the barman) and ask Henri to please curb his observations, as an outsider, he's not allowed commentary in their private club.
Yolande. Okay, granted that she's a bit of a ditz. Philippe openly calls her yoyo. But she's priceless comedic quicksilver. Two drinks and she's flying. Her slow motion reactions are priceless---the cake scene is the three minute version of their marriage. But she's warm and loving and wonderful. There's an almost painful placement of her in the background, sandwiched visually between his mother and Philippe. His inattention to her is obvious.
Philippe has been the little prince his entire life. He attracts so much care and attention, that Henri becomes invisible whenever he's around. Henri has to struggle just to be heard. To his discredit, Philippe cancelled a long awaited vacation with Yolande just to do the television spot, under the mistaken belief it's of such earth shattering importance. Yolande makes the observation (being a little tipsy) that referring to him as Monsieur the Director is largely a pretense, since that post belongs to someone three places higher up in the company.
It's interesting that Philippe knows what an odious person Benito (the number three man at the company) is. He's a pig that enjoys making everyone's lives miserable merely to elevate himself, but he fails to realize, he does exactly the same thing with his own family. He can't help slipping in Henri's pet name from childhood, "riri" (ha ha) which might best be interpreted here as meaning "hey stupid" or using Betty as a prop that has to endure one of his screaming fits.
That's used three times briefly. The first two times it's used as a temporal device, indicating a block of time has passed. However the third time, Betty actually sees what Henri has told her, that he's always been forced to play the fool since childhood.
The only difficulty with the film is that it's constructed through constant elision. Henri and Arlette (his wife) have had a spat earlier in the morning but that's missing from the film. He's making a serious effort to please her. Everyone double takes and wonders why the hell is he so dressed up for? Betty's scene in the office isn't there. Henri is talked into the romantic gesture by Denis and Betty but what he did or said in the courtyard is left to the imagination. And of course the warm and fuzzy memory that the grown-up children collectively remember actually belongs to the mother. This reflects the endless negative reinforcement she has used over the years to keep them frozen in these crippling relationships. Gad! I'm making this appear so wretched, but take my word for it, this is actually funny stuff.
There's exquisite framing by the director that reveals hidden relationships. Betty is talking with Denis and Henri enters and busts his balls about slacking off and chases him back to work. Not long afterwards, the conversation turns to romance and Betty is now at the bar; Denis is washing dishes in the kitchen and Henri is placed between them. This framing instantly reveals her problem: she fears that Henri (and the family) wouldn't accept Denis. There's also a few shots later of Denis waiting hopefully by the window for Arlette, mirroring the same gesture done by Betty earlier in the film, her relationship with Denis (which she says is only casual) deepens by the comparison.
On the surface, nothing ground shattering seems to have happened; yet I'm assuming everything has. During the film Philippe has gradually lost all his lustre,to the point he's just a simpering, mamma's boy and one who's easily confused to boot. The fantasy of him being a world shaker exists only between him and his mother. Yolande has also won some autonomy, as Philippe is now visually placed in the background between her and his mother, as it should be---and she's warned him to be nicer.
Probably what I liked best about the film is the just the tiny shifts in perception that allows these characters to change. The way Denis nudges them in the right direction: his observation that Betty is more like Henri rather than Philippe is a revelation to her; she had always thought the opposite. Each little success seems to embolden the other, to the point where together they mutually move out of the supporting roles they've been assigned to become movie stars in their lives. Henri has let go of his dad's macho bullsh** because he's rather have his wife with him then living without her; one can't stress enough how insignificant that may appear to be, but how much of a game changer it really is.
Un air de Famille