Blame it on Fidel
Julie Gavras first feature film is wonderful. Based on a book by Domitilla Calamai with a screenplay by Gavras and Arnaud Cathrine, Blame it on Fidel takes place in 1970s Paris.
Young Anna de la Mesa (Nina Kervel-Bey) lives with her father Fernando (Stefano Accorsi) who is a lawyer, her mother Marie (Julie Depardieu) who works for a magazine and her younger brother Francois (Benjamin Feuillet). They live a nice life in a good neighborhood and have a lovely house. But when Fernando's sister and niece come fr0m Spain to live in Paris things change. His brother-in-law was murdered because he working against Franco. Fernando quits his job and takes time off to think. He and Marie travel to Latin America. Upon their return Fernando decides to help dissidents and joins a group that is working towards the election of Salvador Allende in Chile. This means moving to smaller living quarters. Anna is attending Catholic school and wants to remain there despite her parents now anti-religious stance. She is allowed to stay but cannot attend religious instruction.
The film is a series of small events all told through Anna's perspective. She doesn't like or understand what is going on. She feels that her parents are neglecting her because of their devotion to their causes. She gives them a hard time. By contrast, Francois is much more accepting and is much more easy going. Anna even hates the new way they eat (it wasn't clear what type of food it was but I was wondering if it was vegetarian).
In all honesty, I could understand that Anna was upset because she felt that her parents were neglecting her. Sometimes that happens and I think that the parents should have made an effort to spend more time with their children. But I also can relate to how they felt about their work. The acting is all on target. I am a big fan of Gerard Depardieu and it was nice to see his daughter Julie in this film. But he film belongs to young Kervel-Bey. She is absolutely sensational. She shows as much emotional range as actors who are much older than she is.
I must also say something about Gavras. It is obvious that she picked up the knack of political filmmaking from her father Costa Gavras. He made a number of excellent films. And now his daughter is following in his footsteps. I can't wait to see what Ms. Gavras does next. In the meantime, make sure that you see this film. It is only playing in a few theaters. But it will eventually be out on DVD so if you can't catch it on the big screen rent it on DVD.
Young Anna de la Mesa (Nina Kervel-Bey) lives with her father Fernando (Stefano Accorsi) who is a lawyer, her mother Marie (Julie Depardieu) who works for a magazine and her younger brother Francois (Benjamin Feuillet). They live a nice life in a good neighborhood and have a lovely house. But when Fernando's sister and niece come fr0m Spain to live in Paris things change. His brother-in-law was murdered because he working against Franco. Fernando quits his job and takes time off to think. He and Marie travel to Latin America. Upon their return Fernando decides to help dissidents and joins a group that is working towards the election of Salvador Allende in Chile. This means moving to smaller living quarters. Anna is attending Catholic school and wants to remain there despite her parents now anti-religious stance. She is allowed to stay but cannot attend religious instruction.
The film is a series of small events all told through Anna's perspective. She doesn't like or understand what is going on. She feels that her parents are neglecting her because of their devotion to their causes. She gives them a hard time. By contrast, Francois is much more accepting and is much more easy going. Anna even hates the new way they eat (it wasn't clear what type of food it was but I was wondering if it was vegetarian).
In all honesty, I could understand that Anna was upset because she felt that her parents were neglecting her. Sometimes that happens and I think that the parents should have made an effort to spend more time with their children. But I also can relate to how they felt about their work. The acting is all on target. I am a big fan of Gerard Depardieu and it was nice to see his daughter Julie in this film. But he film belongs to young Kervel-Bey. She is absolutely sensational. She shows as much emotional range as actors who are much older than she is.
I must also say something about Gavras. It is obvious that she picked up the knack of political filmmaking from her father Costa Gavras. He made a number of excellent films. And now his daughter is following in his footsteps. I can't wait to see what Ms. Gavras does next. In the meantime, make sure that you see this film. It is only playing in a few theaters. But it will eventually be out on DVD so if you can't catch it on the big screen rent it on DVD.
posted by Film Fanatic | 5:55 PM
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