De toutes nos forces (2014)
Directed by Nils Tavernier

Film Review

In his 2011 documentary Destins de familles, face à la maladie d'un enfant, director Nils Tavernier gave French television audiences a poignant insight into the trauma of families with children afflicted with a severe handicap or life-threatening illness.  It was whilst working on this film that Tavernier had the idea for his next fictional feature, about a paraplegic adolescent who persuades his uncommunicative father to partner him in one of the world's most gruelling sporting contests, the Ironman triathlon.  De toutes nos forces (a.k.a. The Finishers) is a well-intended crowdpleaser, emotionally involving and directed with no shortage of panache, but it has nothing like the maturity and impact of its director's previous documentary.  In fact, had it been made by anyone other than Tavernier it would be easy to write it off as a pretty cynical attempt to clamber aboard the disability-themed bandwagon that Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano set in motion with their 2011 hit comedy Intouchables (2011), closely followed by Jacques Audiard's acclaimed De rouille et d'os (2012).

Tavernier's reputation as a committed commentator on social themes makes it hard to question his sincerity or his motives in making this shameless sporting tearjerker.  De toutes nos forces tells an uplifting story which, for all its faults, packs quite a punch, particularly in its final, emotionally wrenching twenty minutes.  As the wheelchair-bound central protagonist, debutant disabled actor Fabien Héraud gives a performance that swells with charm and authenticity, outclassing the film's big name lead actors Jacques Gamblin and Alexandra Lamy, who are effectively relegated to supporting players, aided by a script that does them few favours.   The problem is that the film delivers exactly what we expect it to, and no more.  The only thing that is ever likely to cause offence is its life-sapping mundanity.

After a promising beginning, it's pretty much a downhill slalom all the way.  The story follows a predictable course, with characters that are mostly one-dimensional archetypes who can only ever talk in empty TV-movie platitudes.  Hampered by both a distinct lack of character depth and a chronic unwillingness to engage with the real human issues at stake the film rapidly sinks into soap-style banality, and were it not for the committed efforts of Héraud and Gamblin, very little of it would ring true.  If you want an easy emotional fix replete with saccharine tearjerker moments, De toutes nos forces certainly comes up with the goods, but for anyone seeking a more probing and thoughtful examination of how families and individuals deal with disability it is sorely deficient.  Tavernier's gushing hymn to the resilience of the human spirit stumbles at the first hurdle and only just makes it to the finishing line.

Film Synopsis

In common with all adolescents of his age, Julien dreams of a life filled with thrills and adventure.  But since he is confined to a wheelchair it seems unlikely that such dreams will ever be realised.  Not one to give in easily, Julien persuades his unemployed father to compete with him in the Ironman triathlon in Nice, one of the world's most challenging sporting events.  Despite their initial reservations, Julien's family rallies round to allow him to carry through this incredible exploit.