Netflix describes this as a coming-of-age comedy. IMDb assigns it only the genre of drama. I definitely side with IMDb on this one. While French comedies are an even bigger gamble to me than other comedies (sometimes you'd think they found nothing funnier than rich people), I can at least tell when they're trying to be funny. I sure hope MotH is a "comedy" only in the sense of a happy ending; it doesn't even have an appropriate title for humor.
Yes, there is a literal heart murmur in the story. It serves primarily to initiate a midway change of scene for 14-year-old protagonist Laurent, from his ritzy Dijon home to a sanatorium, affecting which characters interact with him. For the most part, I take the title as metaphorical, as he's sorting out his sexual interests. And that should tell you right away that this film is, well, not for the faint of heart.
To start, Laurent is the best student in his Catholic school class, but the teacher notes a low bar. He is probably not the most virtuous among them, as evidenced by the cover showing him with a cigar. I blame the influence of his two older brothers, who have no manners or scruples to speak of; they just have rebellious, frequently drunken fun all the time. This includes introducing Laurent to a prostitute. (Try not to think too hard about what a real teenager was doing to make that scene.) He also has trouble getting along with his father, who, while not very loving, might exhibit the most ethical and legal behaviors in the immediate family.
In the second half, Laurent is away from all his prior acquaintances except his mother. Alas, he doesn't behave any better, whether toward service personnel or potential girlfriends. He also gets further confirmation of an earlier suspicion that his (admittedly attractive) mother is adulterous, but it can be difficult to tell how much that bothers him. In fact, with his father no longer in the picture, we get increasing evidence of the other key aspect of an Oedipal complex. And a Jocasta complex. If you thought earlier transgressions were disturbing...
It is nice to know that director Louis Malle based the story largely on his early life yet played up the most scandalous parts, but that doesn't change the awkwardness of the "happy" ending. Don't get me wrong. I don't maintain that every movie should be a morality play. Comedies especially get off easy in that regard, which might be one reason for the Netflix classification. But when the major characters neither regret nor suffer for any of their considerable misdeeds, what are we to make of it? Did Malle rival Woody Allen for the objectionability of his displayed moral code or worldview?
I've seen and enjoyed a couple other works by Malle: the quirky noir Elevator to the Gallows and the bittersweet Au Revoir Les Enfants. MotH is right behind them in popularity, but I can't feel the same way. Time constraints weren't the only reason I watched it in two parts three nights apart. It is fairly admirable from a production quality standpoint. That's as positive as I'll go.
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