French immersion

>> La Faute à Voltaire takes on the immigrant experience

by JASON BOGDANERIS

La Faute à Voltaire follows a young Algerian immigrant as he drifts through an unglamorous Paris, dodging deportation and adapting to the caprices of the women he meets. Rather than exploring well-worn themes like racism or oppression, the film tells a quiet but compelling story in verité style.

From the moment Jallel (Sami Bouajila) checks into a men's hostel he is schooled in the art of hucksterism and survival by native Frenchmen. He meets a beautiful immigrant girl and we think we know what will follow--but instead of boy meets girl, we get boy meets emotionally scarred single mother. He then marries her in an attempt to gain legal status. Cold water is thrown on any hope of a storybook ending as the bride leaves the reception early to attend to her sick child and promptly disappears.

The story then shifts gears somewhat clumsily. Stricken with a mysterious ailment, Jallel is forced to get treatment in a mental hospital where he meets Lucie, a strange doe-eyed nymphomaniac. The role is played with incredible sensitivity by Elodie Bouchez, who strikes a delicate balance between pathos and seduction in a performance that practically carries the film.

Here again, the story resists clichés. Jallel remains ambivalent toward Lucie, an attitude perhaps best expressed when he callously gives permission to a friend to sleep with her, only to passionately rescind it moments later. Nearly every scene has a similarly bittersweet twist. Their first night of passion is cut short by the realization that she's pregnant. Later on, a carefree lawn bowling picnic nearly turns into an ugly brawl.

At its best, La Faute à Voltaire elevates life's small moments into poetry with a startling attention to detail--like a scene in which Jallel sips a beer in an empty bar, conspicuous in his solitude. Or the way Lucie dangles a cigarette from her lips in suggestive defiance after being caught having sex.

The acting is the film's strong suit, conveying meaning through gestures and silences rather than lengthy monologues. Unfortunately, this slice-of-life approach, though intriguing at first, begins to lose steam two thirds into the film. It's still a very promising debut by director Abdel Kechiche. Considering his skill with actors and Cassavetes-style incisiveness, it would be interesting to see how he might fare with a tighter script.

La Faute à Voltaire opens Friday, June 22