Comment j'ai tué mon père (2001)
Directed by Anne Fontaine

Film Review

In possibly her darkest and most introspective work to day, acclaimed director Anne Fontain explores the conflict which ensues when a son is reunited with his father after a long period of estrangement.  In many respects, Comment j'ai tué mon père is rather like the parable of the prodigal son in reverse.  The errant father returns to his two sons after several years - one son has become a respectable medical practitioner, the other a reckless no-hoper whose only ambition is to be a small-time comedian.  Both sons initially resent their father's return, but it is the intelligent elder son, the one who has pursued an honest career, who is most affected and annoyed by his father's presence.  What is interesting in this film is how each of the principal characters (Jean-Luc, his wife Isa, his brother Patrick) react to Maurice.  The old man's mere presence is enough to provoke a catharsis of pent up emotions, resulting in conflict and a certain amount of psychological trauma.

Comment j'ai tué mon père is one of those films which at first appears very simple but which, on closer examination, proves to be a very complex work, with many layers of detail.   It becomes apparent that there are a multitude of reasons for Jean-Luc's lukewarm reaction to his father's return.  Perhaps he is secretly envious that his father has achieved something worthwhile with his skills?   Whilst Jean-Luc has been politely pandering to a few rich ageing Parisians, his father has devoted his life to serving the genuinely deserving in the Third World.  Or maybe Jean-Luc's antipathy towards his father stems from the psychological impact his departure had on him when he was a boy?  Could this explain why he is incapable of fathering children himself and therefore be the reason why his marriage is failing?  Then there is the younger son, Patrick, who has been dependent on Jean-Luc all his life, seeing him as a stand-in father - something which both siblings seem to bitterly resent.  And for Isa, the neglected wife, maybe she sees in Jean-Luc's father the humanity she has failed to find in her husband?  No wonder Maurice's return stirs up so much trouble: it is like a spark suddenly hitting the tinder.

What makes this film so effective and memorable are the outstanding performances from the two male leads, Charles Berling and Michel Bouquet.  After a series of challenging film roles in the last decade, Berling has established himself as one of France's leading film actors and he rarely disappoints either his director or his audience.  Here, he gives a convincing portrayal of a man who, despite his quite air of authority and self-confidence, is obviously ill at ease in his social milieu and who is uncomfortable in his relationships with others.  That said, however, Comment j'ai tué mon père unquestionably belongs to Michel Bouqet, the actor who plays Berling's father in the film.  In one of the high points in a long and successful film career (which dates back to the 1940s), Bouquet gives one of his most arresting performances - for which he was justly awarded the Best Actor César in 2002.   One of the film's few disappointments is Natacha Régnier, who, having won acclaim for her portrayal of troubled adolescents in a number of films d'auteur in the 1990s (notably Erick Zonca's La Vie revée des anges), appears somewhat uncomfortable in a more conventional role.  However, this is not enough to mar what is a well-executed and captivating psychological drama which skilfully exposes the frailties in human nature with great insight and uncompromising brutality.

Film Synopsis

Jean-Luc has made a successful career in private medicine, specialising in anti-ageing treatments.  He appears to have it all: his own gerontology clinic at Versailles, which brings him wealth and esteem, and a beautiful young wife Isa.   However, beneath this veneer of order and bourgeois respectability, trouble is fermenting.  Things come to a head when Jean-Luc's father, Maurice, suddenly re-enters his life.  Maurice walked out on his wife and children when Jean-Luc was a boy, to work as a doctor in Africa.  Suspicious of his father's motives and unable to forgive him, Jean-Luc becomes increasingly frustrated by his unwelcome return.  Maurice's mere presence is enough to disrupt the lives of Jean-Luc, his wife, and his wayward younger brother, Patrick…