Presque rien (2000)
Directed by Sébastien Lifshitz

Film Review

Presque rien, Sébastien Lifshitz's first full-length cinematic work, is a profoundly melancholic and unsettling film about two people falling in and out of love - a familiar subject were it not for the fact that these two people happened to be two young men.  Ground-breaking in its naturalistic depiction of an adolescent gay relationship, it is a compelling film, beautifully filmed and featuring extraordinarily mature and intense performances from Jérémie Elkaïm (remarkably his first major film role) and Stéphane Rideau (French cinema's latest male sex symbol).

Where the film is most successful is in its convincing and totally uncompromising portrayal of a love affair involving two young men who have yet to become accustomed to their homosexuality.   Cinema has a very poor track record when it comes to treating gay relationships with the same honesty and poetry as straight relationships and Presque rien goes some way to redressing the balance.  The high-calibre camerawork and acting from the two principal male leads show that love between two men (both spiritual longing and physical desire) is not just a natural part of life but is ultimately no different to love between a man and a woman.  Whilst religiously avoiding the familiar gay stereotypes, the film not only has a ring of truth about it but should also appeal to a wider audience than its subject would suggest.  Some may, however, be put off by the very explicit sex scenes (even if these are infrequent and directed with a touch of artistic brilliance).

What possibly most undermines the film's impact is its unusual narrative structure and the fact that some gaps in the story have been intentionally omitted.  On top of the main narrative strand (which recounts the summertime love affair between Mathieu and Cédric) the film overlays two future instalments in Mathieu's life.  In the first, we see Mathieu suffering from acute depression after a suicide attempt following his break-up with Cédric at the end of the summer.  In the second, we see Mathieu a year on, a changed man, visibly scarred by his first sentimental encounter, still trying to pick up the pieces.  The approach works in the sense that it emphasises the transient nature of teenage love and the damage it can cause.  It shows how life-changing and painful the experience was for Mathieu, and intensifies our feelings for him as a character.  On the other hand, it serves to weaken the film's dramatic thrust and needlessly weighs it down with negative sentiment.  Also, many spectators will find it hard to mentally assemble all the pieces and may be frustrated by the film's rather ambiguous ending.

Despite its apparent shortcomings, Presque rien deserves be considered a major work for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, contrary to what some reviewers have stated, the film does represent a very significant advancement in the cinematic portrayal of gay experiences.  It tackles the subject with sensitivity, openness and maturity - and not just in its depiction of a gay love affair.  Significantly, the film dares to show the harrowing psychological impact on a young man after his first gay encounter - arguably the film's most poignant and upsetting aspect.  Secondly, the combination of the film's elliptical structure and its documentary-style cinematography works generally well and serves to emphasise the disorientation and pain experienced by the film's main character.  What is lost in terms of narrative clarity is more than made up for by emotional impact and depth of characterisation.  However, it is perhaps true that this unusual narrative approach would not have worked half so well without a talented lead actor to lend it cohesion and meaning.  In his sensitive portrayal of Mathieu, Jérémie Elkaïm makes this a worthy and intensely personal French film d'auteur  - more presque tout than presque rien.

Film Synopsis

Whilst on holiday in the Atlantic coastal town of Pornichet one summer, 19 year old Mathieu finds himself attracted to a muscular boy of his own age, Cédric.  The two adolescents meet on the deserted seashore by night and pursue a passionate love affair, which totally changes Mathieu's view of life and his plans for the future.  When the time comes to head back home, Mathieu has to decide whether to give up his relationship with Cédric or to leave his sick mother.  It is a decision which has a devastating impact on his life...