Beau Pere is a film that works on a variety of levels- comedy, drama, tragedy, romance. It hits directly on target on a number of areas. Unsurprisingly, as a story about a 30-year-old man who has an affair with his 14-year-old stepdaughter- played by an underage actress with nude scenes- Beau Pere has been derided in North America as exploitation. It's not. There are no explicit sex scenes, and what nudity there is adds to the film.
Despite puritanical complaints, this is not a film promoting sex with minors. A deeper look of the film suggests the reverse. The stepfather Remi and stepdaughter Marion are both sick people. Remi is faced with blow after blow, a struggling career, threatened poverty, a failing marriage, death of a loved one, loss of a home. Marion gets an appalling shock when her mother is killed in a car crash. They try to pick up the pieces, but sexual confusion creeps in. The relationship may be sick, the love may be twisted, but these characters are always sympathetic. Remi knows the affair is wrong and in the end tries to move towards an adult woman, but the shift to normalcy may be gradual, and there is a sinister hint that history can repeat itself.
Both of the main characters are portrayed well (Dewaere has sad eyes) and the film doesn't have many flaws apart from the car accident scene in the beginning which is a little too goofy. The movie has a lot of similarities to Lolita, but enough differences to make it worthwhile. In fact, I prefer it to Kubrick's film (and I'm a Kubrick fan). Beau Pere worked with me as a sorrowful drama the first time I watched it, and on second viewing I could appreciate how funny it is as well. Encore!
Despite puritanical complaints, this is not a film promoting sex with minors. A deeper look of the film suggests the reverse. The stepfather Remi and stepdaughter Marion are both sick people. Remi is faced with blow after blow, a struggling career, threatened poverty, a failing marriage, death of a loved one, loss of a home. Marion gets an appalling shock when her mother is killed in a car crash. They try to pick up the pieces, but sexual confusion creeps in. The relationship may be sick, the love may be twisted, but these characters are always sympathetic. Remi knows the affair is wrong and in the end tries to move towards an adult woman, but the shift to normalcy may be gradual, and there is a sinister hint that history can repeat itself.
Both of the main characters are portrayed well (Dewaere has sad eyes) and the film doesn't have many flaws apart from the car accident scene in the beginning which is a little too goofy. The movie has a lot of similarities to Lolita, but enough differences to make it worthwhile. In fact, I prefer it to Kubrick's film (and I'm a Kubrick fan). Beau Pere worked with me as a sorrowful drama the first time I watched it, and on second viewing I could appreciate how funny it is as well. Encore!