re:mote voices

Title: Young Lilly [aka Little Lilly or La Petite Lili]
Cast: Nicole Garcia, Bernard Giraudeau, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Ludivine Sagnier, Robinson Stévenin, Julie Depardieu, Yves Jacques, Anne Le Ny, Marc Betton
Director: Claude Miller

the 12th annual french film festival started on friday, young lilly was the second film in the season and the first that i caught. ludvine sagneir starts in the title role as lilly, and outdoes herself by being naked before the title sequence has even finished. but even that from this rising actress, who has appeared in the likes of water drops on burning rock, 8 women and the swimming pool, doesn't really make much difference from this tiresome little effort. based on a russian classic which makes commentary on theatre, it has been updated to modern day france and film. a family are hollidaying on an island for the summer - the mother is a famous actress, her current boyfriend the acclaimed director of her most recent film. her son wants to be a director as well and the film starts with him presenting his experimental short to the assembled friends and family. but he is headstrong and filled with a vicious passion. the result is that there is lots of pouting and pontificating self importance from the youngster, which is met with understanding and been there done that acknowledgement from the older director who he is trying to provoke. julie depardieu appears as a local woman who is clearly infatuated with the young director, while his girlfriend ludvine is more interested in the director. and so on, one character more interested in another, with an attempt at intrigue and tension to go with that. the end shows some attempt at recontextualising all of that as it is transformed into a film of that summer. the result however comes across as clumsy, trite and not really holding the promise that was perhaps suggested initially.