This film was a wonderful surprise, a treasure found by accident. I'd never heard of this film, but knowing that Romain Duris and Anais Demoustier were in it was enough to draw me in. I've always enjoyed Duris' work. He has great range as an actor and goes all out in almost everything he does and Demoustier is a beauty whom I first saw in BIRD PEOPLE made only a year earlier.
So, the first ten minutes or so went by rather slowly, and I was only half paying attention to the film. But once we see Duris' character David transform into Virginia, and see Demoustier's character Claire react to the transformation, the film begins to flow in the most wonderful way. You're heart really goes out to David/Virginia as judgments fall by the wayside. You see the struggle, the vulnerability, and the joy all at once in Duris' performance, and how it draws Claire in. Demoustier's performance is so subtle and so beautiful in this film and balances with Duris' so effortlessly.
The dance these two do, and myriad of topics introduced, gender identity, sexual identity, moral identity, friendship, family all tackled in such a fresh way, i.e. not making too big a deal about it. Also, I found this film to be fun and funny and had a smile on my face throughout. I love the fact that the jokes, the laughs were derived from the shear joy and surprise of the scenes and not made at the expense of any of the characters or groups portrayed in the film. In the end, I felt not only entertained, but enlightened. I love films that create their own world, their own moral universe of codes and standards, their own ideas of what is right and wrong. This film stretched a little of my universe. It surprised me not only with its subject matter and its wonderful details, but offered me a chance to surprise myself with my own feelings towards them
So, the first ten minutes or so went by rather slowly, and I was only half paying attention to the film. But once we see Duris' character David transform into Virginia, and see Demoustier's character Claire react to the transformation, the film begins to flow in the most wonderful way. You're heart really goes out to David/Virginia as judgments fall by the wayside. You see the struggle, the vulnerability, and the joy all at once in Duris' performance, and how it draws Claire in. Demoustier's performance is so subtle and so beautiful in this film and balances with Duris' so effortlessly.
The dance these two do, and myriad of topics introduced, gender identity, sexual identity, moral identity, friendship, family all tackled in such a fresh way, i.e. not making too big a deal about it. Also, I found this film to be fun and funny and had a smile on my face throughout. I love the fact that the jokes, the laughs were derived from the shear joy and surprise of the scenes and not made at the expense of any of the characters or groups portrayed in the film. In the end, I felt not only entertained, but enlightened. I love films that create their own world, their own moral universe of codes and standards, their own ideas of what is right and wrong. This film stretched a little of my universe. It surprised me not only with its subject matter and its wonderful details, but offered me a chance to surprise myself with my own feelings towards them