Le Brio

It's actually embarrassing because Daniel Auteuil is not only among my favorite actors but he in fact takes the top spot! However, it was only when watching Le Brio that I realized that the last film I saw with him is ten years old, and since then I have not mapped his later work at all. By the way, he has aged gracefully and charisma still emanates from him. Attal's film can be perceived as using stereotypes and that it leads its story of an aging arrogant professor and a promising student from an immigrant family precisely in the direction of the twists you would expect, and the ending offers no surprises. The intergenerational and societal clash cards are dealt in such a way that no cunning ace falls out of the sleeve. Moreover, in this duel, the sympathies of the creator lie with Neila, as Auteuil's Mazard repeatedly turns into a caricature and his attitudes are so to speak exaggerated. Nevertheless, the film works and even where Attal wanted to emotionally manipulate the viewer, I was happy to be moved by it. The emotions and feelings that the director wanted to evoke simply did come my way and for them, as well as for Daniel Auteuil, I lean toward giving the film a fourth star. Overall impression: 70%. (16.06.2019)

The racist twist right at the beginning didn't sit well with me either, but without it, it would be a completely different film, which would be a great loss. Yvan Attal pleasantly surprised me with how he balanced everything out. Moreover, he managed to choose the central "frenemy" duo very well. Daniel Auteuil (one of my favorite French actors) was at times infuriating in his behavior, but Camélia Jordana (my first encounter with her, and she was absolutely brilliant) held her own against him in every way. On the other hand, they both managed to be very pleasant and I have to say that I really liked them in their roles. While this treatment of the theme of beauty and the power of rhetoric doesn't particularly stand out for its originality, when watching this story spiced with sharp humor, I felt a warm glow in my heart. (05.04.2020)