Tu
n’est pas ma maman
Tonight is the 66th birthday of Isabelle
Huppert. She started her film career in 1971 and Isabelle Huppert still keeps
us pleased with her successes. She played, among others, the roles of two
condemned to death women, Marie Curie, Anna Bronte, Emma Bovary and so on and
so on.
In 2015, Isabelle Huppert visited Moscow theatre and I
was, primarily stunned, by her stage moves. She, wearing a rather high-heel shoes,
floated like a butterfly. Among her many years, I would pay special attention
to 2000. In 2000, Michael Haneke finished shooting «La Pianiste» (it was
released the next year), «Merci Pour Le Chocolat» (I watch it every year on her
birthday) and she acted in play «Medee».
The same year, Isabelle Huppert starred in «Comedie de
l’innocence» made by Chilean filmmaker Raul Ruiz. This film was rather
overlooked, but it doesn’t make it worse than her more known roles. That is
why, on the birthday of Isabelle Huppert, it is more convenient to recall some
of her lesser-known roles.
Once, King Solomon was visited by two women with
argument about a toddler. After listening to the argument, Solomon ordered to cut
the baby into two pieces and give the parts to arguing women. After hearing the
cry of woman not kill the child and to give it to her rival, Solomon realized
who was the real mother.
One rich and affluent French family have a rather good
and steady life. Serge and Ariane are celebrating the 9th birthday
of their beloved son Camille. Everything goes as planned, until the evening,
when Camille starts to call his mother by name and stating that he is really
Paul, and they should urgently visit «the real mother». Ariane and Camille have
reached the address and they encounter Isabella – a woman, who lost a son two
years ago, - which happily embrace Paul-Camille and the boy calls her a real
mother.
The strongest bond is a mother love. Mother loves her
child unconditionally and would never abandon him or put him in harm’s way. The
death of a child is one of the main human tragedies, which could completely
destroy the woman’s life (at least, psychologically). The other tragedy – loss of
a child or if a child rejects the mother.
The children are enjoying fantasies, including
inventing new biographies and parents. Some of such fantasies are deliberate
and aim to hurt the more (as in a case, when mom refuses to buy something).
Usually such tantrums are short-lived, but what if child makes a claim about
another mum and such claim is somehow verified?
The worst thing in such satiation is ambiguity. When
child is physically sick, you know, most of the times, about proper drugs and
how to nurse your child back to feet. In case of the «second mother», mum have
the only course of action left – to mend fences with her rival in order not to
lose a child, because such radical trial, as in parable about King Solomon, are
abolished since the Middle Ages.
Every minute in such surrealistic situation is
destroying Ariane’s psychic. Everything looks like as a rather bizarre nightmare,
but Ariane cannot wake up and merely embrace Camille. The only option left for
her is to dream about another Solomon, who would help to settle her dispute for
good.
By using a rather simple means, the director was able
to shoot a haunting story about a child loss. The worst is that such stories
are quite real and the only hope that such Kafkaesque story would never happen to
you or your close friends. Despite all of that, I would like to thank Isabelle
Huppert for making this film «fly». I am impatiently waiting for release of «Greta»
and again wish the happiest of birthdays to Isabelle Huppert!
