Renoir (2013)
Directed by Gilles Bourdos

Film Review

Gilles Bourdos's fourth film could not be further removed from his previous cinematic offerings, atmospheric modern thrillers such as Inquiétudes (2003) and Afterwards (2008).  An evocative, sumptuously presented account of a bitter falling out of the painter Auguste Renoir with his son, the future filmmaker Jean Renoir, Bourdos's latest film transports us to a sun-drenched garden of Eden in the south of France at the time of the First World War, where two of France's greatest creative geniuses fall under the spell of a lovely enchantress, in the form of Andrée Heuschling.  

Beautifully photographed by Mark Ping Bing Lee (renowned for his work on such films as In the Mood for Love), the film is instantly evocative of the impressionistic paintings of Auguste Renoir, and Bourdos shows an intense engagement with the life-infused art of his subject.  Yet, whilst the its visuals are stunning, the film struggles to hold itself together as a coherent piece of drama.  Overlong, and at times gloriously self-indulgent, it is too wrapped up in its own elegant artistry to sustain the spectator's interest at more than a superficial level.

With a less capable cast, Renoir would most probably have ended up as an insignificant botched biopic, of the kind that is all too common, marred by its author's over-zealous attempt to drain the essence out of his subject.  What makes the film worth watching are the subtly rendered performances from the two male lead actors.  Having portrayed former French President François Mitterand to perfection in Robert Guédiguian's Le Promeneur du champ de Mars (2005), Michel Bouquet is well-placed to play the senior Renoir and gives a performance of comparable depth and poignancy.  Who can fail to be moved by the daily ordeal endured by the old painter who, stricken with arthritis, must have his paint brushes tied to his hands by bandages so that he can satisfy the creative yearning that still burns within him?

Vincent Rottiers, another exemplary actor, is just as impressive as the younger Renoir, the man who would one day come to be regarded as one of France's greatest cineastes.  Like Bouquet, Rottiers plays the young Renoir as an ordinary man of his time, bringing a touching reality to his character's social ineptitude and lack of self-confidence.  Bouquet and Rottiers both succeed in rendering their characters credible and humane, and they make an effective contrast: the former an old man completely consumed by his urge to create through his art, the latter an idealistic, gauche young man whose only interest is fighting alongside his comrades in the War to End All Wars.

The crux of the film is the rift that develops between Renoir père et fils when they both become intensely enamoured of the same woman, the young model Andrée Heuschling.  Christa Théret, excellent in Lola Doillon's Et toi t'es sur qui? (2007) and Christophe Sahr's Voie rapide (2012), is a surprising choice for the part of Andrée, and whilst her performance is far from flawless she brings the requisite vitality to the role.   Heuschling was a crucial muse for both of the Renoirs, the last for the father, the first for the son.  It was she who sustained Auguste Renoir's creativity in his declining years, and it was she who married Jean Renoir and cajoled him into becoming a filmmaker (admittedly for selfish reasons - she was desperate to become a famous film star). Under the name Catherine Hessling, Heuschling would take the leading role in Jean Renoir's first film, Une vie sans joie (1924), and then featured in many of his early silent films, most notably La Fille de l'eau (1924), La Petite marchande d'allumettes (1928) and Nana (1926).

Of the three leads, Théret's performance is by far the least satisfying, primarily because the film's portrayal of Andrée Heuschling is too vague and abstract to be convincing, and it looks as if the writers didn't quite know what to make of the character.  In the film, Heuschling has two faces - the idealised modern Eve radiating youth and vitality, as immortalised by Auguste Renoir in his paintings, and a more earthy, temperamental creature who often comes across as shallow and manipulative.  The film fails to reconcile these two interpretations of Heuschling and it is hard to see how it was that such a contradictory and unlikeable individual could exert such a powerful influence over the two great artists.

To sum up, Gilles Bourdos's film has much to appeal to devotees of the two distinguished Renoirs.  It is exquisitely (albeit a little too self-consciously) crafted and elegantly recounts a pivotal incident in the lives of both men.  As visually arresting as the film is, however, it lacks dramatic impact and fails to shed much light on any of the three main protagonists, each of whom deserves a film in his or her own right.  As placid and languorous as a lazy summer afternoon, Renoir is an attractive biopic that is not without charm, but it is hardly the most absorbing of viewing experiences and feels better suited for the small screen than for the cinema.

Film Synopsis

The summer of 1915, in the south of France.  In the twilight of his life, the painter Auguste Renoir is struggling to cope with the loss of his wife and the pangs of old age when he suffers another blow: his son Jean has been wounded in combat during the war.  At this moment of crisis a young woman named Andrée suddenly enters his life.  She instantly reawakens his zest for living, her beauty and vitality making her an ideal model and companion.  Then Jean returns to the family home and is equally enchanted by the remarkable young woman...