Qui a envie d'être aimé? (2011)
Directed by Anne Giafferi

Film Review

For her first film, director Anne Giafferi embraces two subjects, one of which - the midlife crisis - has become a mainstay of French cinema in recent years, whilst the other - spiritual awakening - is comparatively novel.  It is this slightly uncomfortable mix of the strange and the familiar that makes Qui a envie d'être aimé? so interesting and watchable.  In this understated comedy of manners, Giafferi offers both an authentic portrayal of a middle-aged man's belated discovery of God and a humorous assault on the prevailing prejudices against the religiously inclined.  The film is based on a recently published autobiographical novel, Catholique anonyme, written by Giafferi's husband, the successful French television producer Thierry Bizot.

Whatever flaws the film has on the writing and directing fronts (Giafferi shows a slight lack of confidence and imagination in both departments) are amply made up for by the sheer conviction that lead actor Eric Caravaca brings to his performance, in what is assuredly one of his most challenging screen roles to date.  It's far from being the easiest of acting jobs, to convince a mostly sceptical, non-religious cinema audience that you have found God without looking like someone who has lost his marbles, but Caravaca manages to do just this, in the subtlest of ways.  The transformation that we see in the main character takes places mostly beneath the surface and it takes an actor of Caravaca's calibre to make his 'conversion' both believable and rational.  Even those who are not religiously minded will be struck by the film's sincerity and the gently moving way in which it shows how a human life may suddenly be enriched by a nascent spiritual awareness.

Whilst Caravaca's Antoine is the only character that feels fully developed (this being the main weakness of Giafferi's script), there are still some very credible contributions from the supporting cast (Arly Jover, Valérie Bonneton and Jean-Luc Bideau are all excellent).  As the 'prodigal brother', Benjamin Biolay provides an effective complement to Caravaca's character, a reflection perhaps of the heathen brute that Antoine guards within himself and which makes his personal development so difficult.  Giafferi does perhaps overstate the antipathy of Antoine's entourage - a father who shows him no sympathy, a brother who resents his success, a sister too wrapped up in her own problems to care about anyone else's, and a wife who immediately thinks her husband is having an affair when he starts 'getting religion'...

How could Antoine function as a well-adjusted adult in such a totally loveless milieu?  Fortunately, some perfectly judged performances and a large dose of sincerity iron out most of the wrinkles in Giafferi's imperfect script.  Qui a envie d'être aimé? impresses as a serious, well-meaning attempt to explore one area of life which is an innate part of the human condition but which today's filmmakers are reluctant to take on board, fearing perhaps the disdain of their audience.  Sad that we should live in an era where religion has very nearly become a dirty word.  The most endearing aspect of Giafferi's modest film is that it recognises how most people feel about religion today and seeks not to convert but to persuade us of the worth of being more open-minded as we blunder down life's highway.

Film Synopsis

To look at him, Antoine would seem to be the model of the successful 40-year-old. Happily married with two children, thriving in his career as a lawyer, he could hardly wish for more.  But in early middle-age, he begins to realise that his life is not as perfect as he might think.  He feels distanced from his father, who overlooks him in favour of his wayward brother, the prodigal who has achieved nothing in his life.  His son is having difficulties at school and shows no interest in his studies.  After meeting his son's teacher, Antoine receives an invitation to a Catholic meeting.  Out of politeness, perhaps curiosity, he attends the meeting and finds it quaintly amusing.  A few days later, he begins to see the world in a new light.  He buys a copy of the Bible and attends further meetings with the Catholic group.  Noticing a sudden change in her husband's behaviour, Antoine's wife begins to think he is seeing another woman...