Paradis perdu (2012)
Directed by Ève Deboise

Film Review

Having worked as a screenwriter since the early 1990s, collaborating with the Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh on Rice People (1994), Ève Deboise makes her directing debut by tackling one of the thorniest subjects of them all, the ambiguous relationship between a father and his adolescent daughter.  Part realist drama, part modern fairytale, Paradis perdu takes us into territory that has, understandably, been neglected by filmmakers, and does so with commendable subtlety, focusing more on the psychological aspects of an incestuous relationship than its ugly physical reality.  Whilst the film is far from perfect and displays most of the flaws you would expect to find in a first film, it is not without charm, although it is to be regretted that Deboise was unable to match the daring of her subject matter with a more audacious and consistent approach to her mise-en-scène.

The film revolves around a 17-year-old girl Lucie and her father Hugo, both admirably played by Pauline Etienne and Olivier Rabourdin, who have developed a worrying bond of intimacy since Lucie's mother walked away from the family homestead.  Despite its paradisiacal setting in the middle of the French countryside, the film has a relentlessly oppressive feel, which is amplified by the lack of dialogue and some odd choices of classical music.  Lucie and Hugo both have difficulty communicating with each other and others, and appear hopelessly trapped into their isolation.  When the mother makes an unexpected return, the reaction of both Lucie and her father is as shocking as it is revealing.  Driven by dark Oedipal impulses, Hugo acts in a way that makes it clear he wants Lucie to take her mother's place.  Meanwhile, Lucie is gradually finding her own identity and increasingly resembles the heroine in Beauty and the Beast, except that her Beast (her father) is unlikely to transform himself into a prince.  The role of the prince is to be taken by an improbable interloper...

Whilst Paradis perdu deserves credit for its delicate handling of some difficult themes, some obvious failings on the acting and directing fronts prevent it from having the impact it deserves.  Ève Deboise shows great promise but appears to lack confidence and inspiration, particularly in her direction of the actors who sometimes appear lost and confused.  Paradis perdu is a provocative and at times disturbing work, but it doesn't quite succeed in marrying its realist and fairytale elements. For all its sins, the film is strangely alluring and provides an intense and hauntingly poetic evocation of the traumas of adolescence.

Film Synopsis

Lucie is a 17-year-old girl who lives with her father, Hugo, in a remote region of southern France.  It has been a year since Lucie's mother abandoned her family and they have heard nothing of her since.  The absence of her mother has brought Lucie even closer to her father, and she likes nothing better than to work with him on his nursery.  Gradually, the bond between father and daughter intensifies and they come increasingly to depend on one another for emotional support.  As Lucie makes the transition to adulthood, she sees nothing wrong in the closeness of her relationship with her father.  It seems to her perfectly natural.  But then, without warning, Lucie's mother suddenly returns.  It is not something that Hugo had been expecting and within no time he becomes overtaken with jealousy and fury...