A feel good, comedic, period drama, Just an Illusion concerns the trials and tribulations of a French family of four. The year is 1985 and we are in suburban Paris Navigating first love can be challenging, especially when you are 12 years old and part of a family that rarely agrees on anything. That is the lot of Vincent Dayan (Simon Boublil), who shares a room with his older, entrepreneurial brother Yves (Louis Garel) and is desperate for his own space. The pair is constantly scrapping.
Their parents, too, more often than not, don’t see eye to eye. Father Arnaud (Alexis Rosenstiehl), a junior executive, has just lost his job, but can’t bring himself to tell his wife and children. Mother Sandrine (Camille Cottin), a long-time secretary, has loftier ambitions. She has just taken delivery of her first computer. Much to Arnaud’s chagrin, the building’s superintendent, Etienne Berger (Pierre Lottin), gets a little too handsy in helping Sandrine set it up. And Berger is not exactly flavour of the month for Arnaud anyway because they have earlier already had words about Arnaud’s assigned car parking space.
Arnaud’s roots are Moroccan, while Sandrine’s are Algerian … and there is a dark back story there. With money tight, the family is preparing for Vincent’s Bar Mitzvah. He is receiving instruction from Rabbi Abourmad (Rony Kramer). Meanwhile, Vincent and his friends have a natural curiosity about the female form and pinch an X-rated title from a video store. But their attempts to hide it quickly go askew.
At the same time, Vincent is assigned a joint class presentation with Anne-Karine Duchesnay (Jeanne Lamartine), in whom he shows more than a passing interest. Mind you, at first, she is decidedly standoffish towards him, though that is set to change. That is the result of how Vincent responds to Anne-Karine’s musicals tastes and to issues she has with her racist, antisemitic father. So, there is a lot going on here.
Notwithstanding a decidedly darker underbelly, there is much to enjoy in this crowd pleaser, which has cheekiness, warmth and charm. Simon Boublil does a fine job navigating his passage to “becoming a man”. It is a task he undertakes with a twinkle in his eye – a sense of anticipation. Vincent Dayan’s storyline is the one the movie pivots around. It is his “coming of age” tale. There is also a natural flow about how his initially reluctant classmate Anne-Karine comes to see him in a different light. Jeanne Lamartine approaches that transition well.
Navigating the fraught relationship between parents Sandrine and Arnaud includes a delightful up tempo dance sequence, when the pair is as one. That is undoubtedly one of Just an Illusion’s many high points. In fact, the score is well worth mentioning because it has strong resonance. I also appreciated how Pierre Lottin handled his “interventionist” role as the “helpful” superintendent.
Directors and co-writers (with Nathalie Hertzberg), Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano have tackled the material with a deft touch. They have ensured the action, which takes several turns, keeps moving, before reaching a satisfying conclusion. Just an Illusion was the opening night film at the Jewish International Film Festival and can be seen throughout the festival. It scores a 7½ out of 10.
For tickets and more information about all festival films, go to www.jiff.com.au
JIFF is on in Sydney and Melbourne until November 26th and in Perth from October 22nd until November 4th.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Thunder Road – movie review
- When Fall is Coming (103 minutes) – movie review
- The Stranger (MA) – 123 minutes – movie review
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.
