By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Pierre Schöller
Starring: Aure Atika | Brigitte Sy | Guillame Depardieu | Judith Chemla | Max Baissette de Malglaive | Patrick Descamps
Country: france
Year: 2009
Running time: 102
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132607/
Bruce says: “For a woman at the end of her ropes, caring for a child is not easy. Nina (Judith Chemla) is first seen navigating the backstreets of Paris trying to find a construction site where she and her five year old son Enzo (Max Baissette de Malglaive) can find shelter for the night without fear of being attacked by vagrants, thugs or the police. When she is finally pick up by the authorities she tells her inquisitors, ‘Your questions tire me.’ Ironically she is sent to a homeless shelter near Versailles, an iconic symbol of wanton excess. Nina and Enzo don’t stay in the shelter long. Soon they are wandering in the woods near the palace where they stumble upon Damien, a man who has set himself up to be self-sufficient, a lone wolf living in a shack self-made from odds and ends that others have discarded. When Enzo fall asleep, Nina and Damien waste no time climbing in bed together. In the morning, Damien finds a note telling him to take care of Enzo.
“Thus begins a new chapter in Enzo’s life. He bonds with Damien because he is desperate. Damien takes on his new role of surrogate father begrudgingly but slowly warms up to the child. Tony, a fellow tramp who lives in the woods, dies suddenly teaching Enzo a lesson in mortality, a lesson he takes to heart when Damien begins to cough uncontrollably and develops a high fever. To get help Enzo sneaks past the guards at the palace and finds a sympathetic looking employee dressed in 17th century finery. Soon Enzo are living with Damien’s father (Patrick Descamps) and new, much younger wife Nina (Aure Atika). Damien, doing an about face, gets a job and sets in motion plans to adopt Enzo. All along we follow the progress of Nina who, with the help of social worker Mme Herchel (Brigitte Sy), is learning the skills for becoming a nurse’s aide, a position she takes to quite naturally which is somewhat of a surprise considering her background. Seven years later she manages to track down Enzo in his new home. Her reception is not a warm one.
“As with most films that involve children, VERSAILLES treads in dangerous waters as it fights heroically not to become maudlin. Furthermore, Schöller’s script is emotionally confusing. At first we are led to believe the story is about Nina, then the focus is on Damien before it lands squarely on Enzo. The social realism of VERSAILLES raises some important questions regarding how society treats the homeless as asocial creatures when they are decidedly not and whether or not a parent/guardian should struggle in vain to raise a child or let the child go. VERSAILLES could not work without a child actor that makes Enzo believable. In that regard, Max Baissette de Malglaive is the perfect choice. Guillaume Depardieu puts in a wonderful performance as a man living outside the boundaries of society. Sadly he died of pneumonia in October, 2008 while filming in Romania. 3.5 cats
“VERSAILLES screened as part of the Rendezvous with French Cinema festival sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center.”