EDI T H KU R Z W EIL
89
Ano ther mo th e r and son , in an equally fo rsaken countryside, thi s o ne in
south ern l3e1gium, are th e central characters in
La
vic dc j eslls.
H ere, th e
mo th er wo rri es about her unemployed and epil eptic Fredd y, who, when he
isn't havin g sex with th e bea utiful Marie, is roaming th e do ur dun es o f th e
Belgian coast on hi s moto rbike with hi s fo ur pals. After a swarthy fo reigner
starts
to
pursue Mari e, Freddy and hi s fri ends go after thi s (ami abl e) " Arab,"
on w hom th e basica ll y ni ce Freddy eventuall y vents
aJ
I hi s pent- up anger,
and w ho ends up dying. During the press conference, th e directo r, 13runo
Dumo nt, explain ed th at he chose the ti ti e beca use he tho ught that if Jesus
were living to day, he too wo uld be es tranged fi·om hi s surro undin gs and li v–
ing in a deserted area .
II
fa
IIiI' I'll
rose,
th e sto ry o f th e sensiti ve seven-yea r-old Ludovic, w ho
does n' t understand why he sho uldn ' t dress as a g irl , is a th o ughtful , com–
passio nate French film. Free o f hype, it demon strates th at enforcin g
traditi o nal values may ruin a wh o le fa mil y's life : th e fath e r loses hi s j o b;
children , neighbo rs and teachers os tra cize th em all ; and they are fo rced to
Ill ove fr o m middle class comfo rt to lower class constri cti o ns. Thro ugho ut
thi s tale, th e pl as ti c fa iry princess keeps glidin g over the rooftops, seemin gly
guidin g Lu do to a fri end , th e bo un cy, asserti ve C hri stin e w ho insists o n
bein g ca ll ed l3ri an . Thi s (fbwed) happy ending, I aSSlIlll e, is intended to
teach to lerance
to
the filll1 's viewe rs.
Martin (Hac he),s f:l mil y, w hose t;o1 th er, th e filmmaker Martin (witho ut
the middl e initial H.), has left him w ith hi s mo ther in l3uenos Aires to set–
tl e in Madrid , is eve n less conw nti o nal. After accidentall y sniHing an
overdose o f drUb'S and nearl y dying, Martin (Ha che) ends up living with hi s
fath er. Th e elder Martin loves a peppy, yo un ger women but won't comllli t
to
her and hi s bes t fi·i end is an overtly gay exhibitioni st- th e mos t straight
and mo ral person in thi s compli cated tale o f a modern generati o n divided by
political events and geography and eve n mo re so by selfi shness and egoti sm .
Miraculo usly, thi s fa r-out fa mil y ends LIp "saving" the charming, laid- back
Hache after th e girlfi·iend 's sui cide in thi s acti o n- packed, enj oyabl e film .
An o th e r produ cti o n centering o n a fa mil y, albeit a torn o ne, is
VoyaJ?e
to the Bc.{!illllill,{!
<!f
the
vVorld,
w hi ch features M arce ll o Mas tro ianni as a film
director. Whil e o n loca ti o n in Po rtu ga l, he travels with two o f hi s acto rs to
hi s fa th er's birth pl ace, whi ch he has kn own onl y vi a fa mil y lo re. Thi s mi x–
ture o f nos talgi a and vi sual impress io ns, mostly seen thro ugh th e rear
window of th eir moving car as they go to visit the rel atives' dark , impov–
eri shed ho me and th eir bri ght, well - kept cemetery symbo li zes th e j o urn ey
of everyo ne's life and its m yri ads of contradi cto ry emo ti o ns-whi ch are
parti cul arl y po ignant sin ce th e recent dea th o f M as tro ianni.
Des/ill y
is yet ano ther so rt o f tri p into th e pas t, when it was taken fo r
granted that fa mili es sti ck togethe r. Thi s hil ari o us spectacular-cum- musical,
