La Vie Promise
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DVD Cover Information Actor: André Marcon, Fabienne Babe, Isabelle Huppert, Maud Forget, Pascal Greggory Director: Olivier Dahan Brand: Empire DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language), Unknown Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 94 minutes DVD Release Date: 2007-02-20 Audience Rating: Unrated Studio: FIRST RUN FEATURES |
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Movie Reviews of La Vie Promise
Movie Review: Pretty good emotional drama; too much plot for an art film
Summary: 3 Stars
This French film, called something else when released in that country, revolves around a prostitute that takes off with her teenage daughter to seek a reunion with her husband and the 8-year-old child they bore together. The pair then engage in an embroiled trip across France where they meet interesting people, managed to elude cops and others that get in their way, and elope into an emotional world of the current day, old and failed past events, and hope for the future.
While this sounds like it has all the trappings of both a Hollywood melodrama and a movie of the week, this film is far better than either of those prospects, mostly because of the fine acting by all the principals. Those principals revolve around French beauty and actress Isabelle Huppert, who plays the prostitute-mother.
The plot, which is too substantial for this to be considered an art film (which it mimics with its regular cutaways to quiet daydream sequences), has a plot with too much in it that could never happen.
Huppert and her daughter (who is a criminal) first escape her daughter's problem, then run around the French countryside like they are on vacation, staying at nice places, and meeting nice people. They fight, separate, are reunited and run into an escaped convict who drives nice cars, has a heart of gold, and apparently has lots of money to buy them clothes and support their travel stays. He eventually takes them to meet the hooker's husband.
What is most effective in this film are the interrelationships between the characters -- especially the mother and teenage daughter -- and the emotions these interactions generate. I felt authentic pathos for this couple during their journey, which was all the time fated to end either negatively or tragically. It really ends neither way but also can't be counted as a "good" ending.
The film is beautifully composed, well written (other than the contrived plot devices) and is very, very personal and emotional. People that want to escape into the lives of people down on their luck and looking for a prospect can buy, rent or borrow this film and get 100 percent return on their investment.
It is, in my opinion, a movie that delivers its promise and provides a lot of beauty during an hour and a half. It is not a great film, nor an art film, although it could have been both with a better plot. But it stands well on its own and is worth your time if you like this kind of thing.