Happy Birthday, Isabelle Huppert! (Une affaire de femmes)

And pray who are the judges?

Marie Latour, a woman of limited means, raises two children in a ratty flat during World War II in occupied France. In 1941, her husband Paul returns from German captivity, too weak to hold a job. Marie discovers she can make money performing abortions, using a soapy water douche. She buys better food and clothes, looks for a new flat, and, through an acquaintance, who is a prostitute, rents out her bedrooms to hookers during the day.

The film mixes two controversial themes – abortions and Vichy France. Not many directors have made films about one of those topics and even less directors have combined them. Because of that, every such film makes a splash in society and film circles.

The director doesn’t take sides and he is not trying to make a spectator disgusted or compassionate. The title of a film implies neutrality. The film perfectly depicts hypocrisy and double standards of the Vichy France. The society tries to conceal the shame of defeat by returning to so-called traditional values. But the glorious society forgot one of the main Christian values: «Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned».

Marie Latour is not a martyr or an ideal, but her struggle to make end meet is, at least, understandable. She didn’t make anyone to have an abortion; she just wanted to have a better life for herself and her children. In fact, a lot of her clients was not going to become good mothers and sparing the unborn children of hunger and misery is somehow an act of mercy. Much more despicable is Marie’s husband Paul.

Isabelle Huppert depicted Marie Latour as an ordinary woman with whom anyone could easily identify himself. She has a dream to become a singer, to have a better life and other little pleasures as anyone. The Actress has portrayed the variety of persons: the poor mother, the arrogant and successful businesswoman and the broken woman on a verge of death. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best roles of Isabelle Huppert.

I think that for the birthday of favorite actress, one should remind the viewers about one of her best roles. Join me in revisiting this unfairly forgotten film in an illustrious career of a great Isabelle Huppert.

9/10

Les Gangsters

I have never heard about Hervé Guibert until I have found an interview with Isabelle Adjani where she talked about her refusal to act in a film, which the late author has planned specially for her. Thanks to Mademoiselle Adjani, I have discovered Patrick Modiano (to put it more frankly – I heard about the Nobel Prize in Literature for Modiano, and then I have scanned, because of my poor French, the article about him by Adjani). Such brilliant actress won’t read or recommend a second rate literature and the Modiano’s case have proved it. That is why I have decided to read Hervé Guibert books.

Les Gangsters stars out as a story about defrauding of two elderly women – Louise and Susanne – by some Portuguese workers. Susanne and Louise are the cousin grandmothers of Hervé Guibert.

The book starts out as a crime story, but behind the façade, there is a much deeper theme – the feel of inevitable death. Hervé Guibert never directly mentions AIDS but he has Herpes zoster – one of the side illnesses of this terrible virus. In my opinion, he feels certain emotional bond to Susanne and Louise because they are also slowly dying.

Les Gangsters also deals with the usual theme of «life must go on». Despite the pain, Hervé Guibert tries to live a normal life – dating one lover, trying to find his true love and affection Vincent. Additionally, he tries to reexamine his life by recalling some of the most notable events and how defrauding scheme have changed his perception of the world.

Les Gangsters is the case of a simple book, which grows into something bigger with every page. You can even feel certain admiration for Hervé Guibert, who continues to live and write, despite his terrible illness.

P.S. Thanks to my Right Honorable Friend Florence Dhenin who told me that Hervé Guibert is a great writer – I agree with you!