Je ne suis pas là pour être aimé (2005)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Stéphane Brizé

Writers:

Stéphane Brizé (writer)
Juliette Sales (writer)

Release Date:

12 October 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

The fifty years old Jean-Claude has a boring life, working in a notary office of his own and as court official evicting tenants or seizing properties...

Plot Keywords:

Office | Tango | Seizure | Dancing | Older Man Younger Woman

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Patrick Chesnais	...	Jean-Claude
Anne Consigny	...	Françoise
Georges Wilson	...	Le père de Jean-Claude
Lionel Abelanski	...	Thierry, le fiancé de Françoise
Cyril Couton	...	Le fils de Jean-Claude
Geneviève Mnich	...	La mère de Françoise
Hélène Alexandridis	...	La soeur de Françoise
Anne Benoît	...	La secrétaire
Olivier Claverie	...	Le dragueur cours de tango
Marie-Sohna Conde	...	Rose Diakité (as Marie-Sonha Condé)
Isabelle Brochard	...	L'aide-soignante
Stefan Wojtowicz	...	Le médecin
Pedro Lombardi	...	Le professeur de tango
Pascal Praud	...	Journaliste sportif (voice)
Géraldine Rojas	...	Danseuse tango spectacle

Also Known As:

Not Here to Be Loved (UK)

Runtime:

France:93 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Germany:o.Al. | Sweden:Btl | Finland:K-3

Filming Locations:

Fontenay-le-Fleury, Yvelines, France

Company:

TS Productions

Trivia:

Visa d'exploitation en France #108435

Stéphane Brizé ; an auteur.

Although this is only his second feature film one thing is sure about Stéphane Brizé : he is an auteur. Just consider the following similarities between "Le Bleu des Villes" and "Je ne suis pas là pour être aimé" : both Solange and Jean-Claude practice an unrewarding job (meter maid ; law officer), they both suffer from the situation without managing to express it clearly, both try after a while to change their lives, one through singing the other through dancing and find a new meaning to their lives. Other common points are Brizé's minimalist style, the heartfelt tone of his two films, the propensity to urge the viewer to never say die and to shape their own lives, a touch of humor and a wonderful knack for choosing the perfect actors.

Patrick Chesnais gives a model performance as Jean-Claude, suggesting his weariness, his suppressed dissatisfaction first, then his discovery of warmer world without changing his face expressions much. I keep wondering how he can achieve such efficiency doing so little. Anne Consigny, his partner, a theater and TV actress I didn't know before, blew me away : she can convey all the emotions in the world through her expressive look, her beautiful face and her irresistible smile. Take care Patrick, I fell in love with her too! Let's not forget Geoges Wilson who manages to make his grumpy character hateable and finally pathetic and Cyril Couton, a young actor that Stéphane Brizé also made me discover, moving in the role of Jean-Claude's withdrawn plant-loving son.

I'm now looking forward to seeing Stéphane Brizé's next movie. I simply hope he will need less than six years to be able to collect the money necessary to make it.