Marivaux in the Hood

The unlikely sensation at this year's César Awards was Abdel Kechiche's L'Esquive (Games of Love and Chance), which walked away with four major awards (including best screenplay, director, and film), beating out audience and critical faves The Chorus, A Very Long Engagement, and Arnaud Desplechin's Kings and Queen. All four awards are well deserved, for L'Esquive is easily one of the most original and vibrant films to come out of France in quite some time. Set in the banlieus outside of Paris, L'Esquive (a fencing term for dodging) offers a glimpse into the world of teenagers (most of North African heritage) who live in these projects, though it's not a tale of drugs, violence or the veil -- issues which have become synonymous with the banlieus. The polar opposite of sensationalistic films like La Haine, Kechiche instead focuses on normal teenage anxieties, though it's clear these kids are indeed affected by the world they have grown up in -- one that is marginalized by a fair percentage of the population. Opening with a shout-out to The Bronx, the film follows the trials and tribulations of a group of high-school students who (when not shouting at each other) are preparing for a production of Marivaux's play Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard. Though there isn't much in way of a plot, it does tell of the ill-fated non-romance between Krimo, a shy, awkward boy, and the blond-haired blue-eyed hellcat that is Lydia (César winner Sara Forestier), who Krimo falls in love with as soon as he lays eyes on her, resplendent as she is in her 18th century dress. The first thing one notices about the film is the language -- aggressive, violent, and heavily peppered with slang -- nearly every sentence contains some variant of Putain vas y nique ta mère, and is often punctuated with an inch'Allah. (Whoever did the subtitles must have had a hell of a time finding English equivalents for most of the slang.) Some have criticized Kechiche for this, claiming that the endless barrage of threats and vulgarities is too highly exaggerated. Yet class issues are at the heart of the film, and the inclusion of the Marivaux play results in some interesting parallels. Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard (Games of Love and Chance) is a comedy of errors about masters and servants changing places, yet unlike many of his contemporaries, Marivaux created characters from the lower class that are as psychologically complex as those of the privileged class -- something Kechiche feels is still lacking in many contemporary portraits of France's minorities, where the focus is often on whether or not they have successfully integrated into French life. The language of the kids may be violent, but it's presented in L'Esquive as a genuine code of communication, and one that hides their fears and fragilities. Completely structured around language, the film (mostly) consists of lengthy argument scenes that hardly seem scripted at all. (The hand-held camera and almost constant close-ups give the film a documentary feel.) Whether discussing the play or the status of a relationship, these kids really know how to lay into each other, and each scene is positively breathtaking in its display of unbridled teenage aggression. Their argot naturally provides a sharp contrast to the language of Marivaux, which proves to be too impenetrable for Krimo, whose interest in the play was an excuse to get close to Lydia. The film's greatest strength is the performance by Forestier -- raw, savage, and feisty, Lydia is a bundle of energy who can unleash a string of expletives for ten minutes, and in a flash become a proper 18th century Mademoiselle. Though shouting for most of the film, she never once overdoes it, and her performance is so incredibly natural that it's a bit disconcerting at times. This is a performance of rare quality, and it will be interesting to see how her career develops. Easily one of the best films of 2005, L'Esquive breathes new life into the somewhat tired youth-in-the-hood genre, and Kechiche approaches the material with a sensitivity and humanism that is too often lacking. Though the threat of violence is ever-present (and escape from police harassment an impossibility), he steadfastly refuses to portray the kids as victims, and the end result is a film that is neither preachy nor didactic, but is remarkably powerful in its simplicity.

Comments

[phyrephox]

Where did you see this?

[Filmbrain]

It was at New Directors/New Films, but I actually saw a screening elsewhere. It's going to be released in a few months.

[Hervé]

Excellent review of this film !! I saw it in France when it was released there, and I found it really extraordinary.
As about the language, the first dialogues are difficult to understand, even for someone whose mother language is french, but after a few minutes, it is all right. Plus, I'm living in Paris, and some people in the suburbs really speak like that...

I read somewhere in France that this truly was a political film, and it is indeed. Despite the peppered words, it says that mastering language is always the key.

[Mikko Pihkoluoma]

It's exquisitely written, but I had a lot of trouble digesting the fact that it was so literal. I'm not even sure it's a film; it's more like a very good recorded script reading. The documentary feel gives it a few points, though, and I can't say I disliked the film... It's just that I'm not even sure Kechiche has much of a knowledge on how to direct films (which ought to be more than theater).