Thursday, June 30, 2005
Cote d'Azur (2005)
Director: Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau
*Warning the following analysis contains a discussion of the entire film – including the ending.
Cote d’Azur is what I think of as a very French romantic-comedy. Very French meaning a romantic-comedy where characters are very frank and uninhibited discussing sex, where the characters are free having sex, and where everyone is cheating.
Cote d'Azur tells the story of a family vacationing on the Cote d’Azure coast tracing their wacky and mixed-up sexual exploits – mom, dad, brother, sister and all.
Sister’s story is most easy – she is 18 (or so) and immediately leaves the family vacation to go off to Portugal with her leather-clad biker boyfriend. The rest is far more complicated. Mom, Béatrix, is, having an affair (and has been for a couple of years). Her sex-obsessed lover follows Béatrix on vacation determined to break up her marriage so they can be together. Béatrix and Dad, Marc, are convinced their son, Charly, is gay and is experimenting sexually with his visiting friend, Martin. The truth is the Martin is gay but Charly is not.
Most complicated, and the story the film really pivots upon, is the Marc’s. We learn Marc's secret when Charly chases Martin afte a fight to apologize. Charly knows Martin is going to the gay meeting spot for those interetsed in casual sex. When Charly arrives he is stunned to see his dad kissing the plumber who had propositioned Charly and Martin the previous night.
Dad's secret now out these French folks can talk even more plainly about sex and sexuality. Mom and dad’s lack of intimacy (and her need for a lover) is suddenly clear. Dad’s worry and emotional outbursts around his Charly’s supposed homosexuality (and Martin's true homosexuality) are more understandable as they stem from his own inner frustrations. And the final resolution, telegraphed but still humorous, is an old, TV show style joke: each pair of lovers open their beach house bedroom windows the following summer to greet the day as one big, happy vactioning bunch. The couples of course include mom with the lover and dad with the plumber. All so very happy, so very fulfilled, so very French.
Plus there are a few humorous musical numbers thrown in for no good reason – you have to love that.
Even though the film explores budding and repressed homosexuality there is really no new ground covered in this film, no significant social message. And perhaps being able to have a film with homosexuality as its central theme and not feel the need to explore any social commentary is significant in itself. Implicit in the story however is how homosexuals of different ages are able to deal with their identity – teenaged Martin is able to be open and secure in his identity from the very beginning of his sexual life, while the father felt the need to repress his identity, reject his true love, and create a sham marriage with children feeling obliged to try a ‘normal’ life. It has taken him decades to resolve his true identity. (Hmm, perhaps there is a significant social message after all.)
Should you see it? Yes, if for no other reason than to leave the film saying – "that was so French!"
*Warning the following analysis contains a discussion of the entire film – including the ending.
Cote d’Azur is what I think of as a very French romantic-comedy. Very French meaning a romantic-comedy where characters are very frank and uninhibited discussing sex, where the characters are free having sex, and where everyone is cheating.
Cote d'Azur tells the story of a family vacationing on the Cote d’Azure coast tracing their wacky and mixed-up sexual exploits – mom, dad, brother, sister and all.
Sister’s story is most easy – she is 18 (or so) and immediately leaves the family vacation to go off to Portugal with her leather-clad biker boyfriend. The rest is far more complicated. Mom, Béatrix, is, having an affair (and has been for a couple of years). Her sex-obsessed lover follows Béatrix on vacation determined to break up her marriage so they can be together. Béatrix and Dad, Marc, are convinced their son, Charly, is gay and is experimenting sexually with his visiting friend, Martin. The truth is the Martin is gay but Charly is not.
Most complicated, and the story the film really pivots upon, is the Marc’s. We learn Marc's secret when Charly chases Martin afte a fight to apologize. Charly knows Martin is going to the gay meeting spot for those interetsed in casual sex. When Charly arrives he is stunned to see his dad kissing the plumber who had propositioned Charly and Martin the previous night.
Dad's secret now out these French folks can talk even more plainly about sex and sexuality. Mom and dad’s lack of intimacy (and her need for a lover) is suddenly clear. Dad’s worry and emotional outbursts around his Charly’s supposed homosexuality (and Martin's true homosexuality) are more understandable as they stem from his own inner frustrations. And the final resolution, telegraphed but still humorous, is an old, TV show style joke: each pair of lovers open their beach house bedroom windows the following summer to greet the day as one big, happy vactioning bunch. The couples of course include mom with the lover and dad with the plumber. All so very happy, so very fulfilled, so very French.
Plus there are a few humorous musical numbers thrown in for no good reason – you have to love that.
Even though the film explores budding and repressed homosexuality there is really no new ground covered in this film, no significant social message. And perhaps being able to have a film with homosexuality as its central theme and not feel the need to explore any social commentary is significant in itself. Implicit in the story however is how homosexuals of different ages are able to deal with their identity – teenaged Martin is able to be open and secure in his identity from the very beginning of his sexual life, while the father felt the need to repress his identity, reject his true love, and create a sham marriage with children feeling obliged to try a ‘normal’ life. It has taken him decades to resolve his true identity. (Hmm, perhaps there is a significant social message after all.)
Should you see it? Yes, if for no other reason than to leave the film saying – "that was so French!"
