Female Film Critics 24/375
Rarely do films maintain the delicate balance between comic and serious moments for their entire storyline. And yet French director Louis Garrel does just that in his third feature The Innocent, an ironic title as amusing as it is playful. Proving the extent of his talent, Garrel not only directed but also co-wrote and stars in this blissfully entertaining experience.
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Actor and director Louis Garrel’s latest film The Innocent is a breezy romp that plays with classic farce tropes but holds at its centre an enjoyably humanistic attitude. The film begins with a criminal discussing an enterprise with other thugs. That criminal, Michel (Roschdy Zem) is indeed a convict but he’s playing a role in prison under the tutelage of acting teacher Sylive (Anouk Grinberg). Michel is soon to be released from his stretch for theft and he and Sylvie have fallen in love. Sylvie’s generally morose son, Abel (Louis Garrel) is far from happy with the arrangement as his mother tends to marry convicts – at least three in the last ten years.
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Other People’s Children is a film that will resonate with many, especially those who for whatever reason (and there are multiple reasons) did not become parents. There is a wealth of kindness in the work and a generosity that radiates from not only the central character of Rachel (Virgine Efira) , but from Rebecca Zlotowski’s writing and direction. In her script, Zlotowski ponders the meaning of motherhood, noting that there are many ways to be a “mother” – it is far more than a biological act; it is an act of love and attention.
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