• La Famille Bélier

2/17/22 (Thurs)

The original French version of the big Sundance hit Coda. Aside from the small variations in the setting – dairy farmers rather than fisherman, father runs for mayor rather than union leader – the US film filled in a lot of the blanks that the French version was happy to skip over. The romance between the daughter and her crush in school, the relation between the son (here a younger brother) and the daughter’s friend (involving a condom allergy), the father’s mayoral campaign and other potential storylines disappear after the first joke, and the main story about the girl’s singing ambitions doesn’t feel fleshed out. The US film integrates those much better into a single story and is much easier to follow. The switch in the later film to an elder brother essentially created a whole new storyline that the first film didn’t bother with. By elaborating on the girl’s situation, such as her relations with her teacher and the boy, the remake was deeper.

Still, the most memorable moments in the later film were already present in the earlier: the embarrassing interpreting session at the doctor, the mother telling movingly about her disappointment and fear in learning her infant daughter was not deaf, the removal of sound during the concert (giving us the same sensation as the deaf family), the girl’s spontaneous signing during her song to allow her parents to enjoy the moment, the father feeling her throat as she sang for him in an attempt to share the experience. The film also felt less schematic, maybe because the jumpier structure left us wondering what was coming next. I loved the choice of songs written by singer/songwriter Michel Sardou, especially the beautiful “Je vole” (I Fly), which was both musically and lyrically absolutely perfect with the signing that went with it.

The film was slammed for using hearing actors in two of the three deaf roles, but that criticism seems misplaced. The hearing actors were simply much better in their roles than their deaf counterpart playing the son, though the latter was admittedly dealing with a less interesting part in this version. Deaf advocates complain that these actors don’t have the subtleties of those who truly live with deafness, which may be true. But honestly those subtleties escaped me. Karin Viard was a riot as the mother, and even in her more exaggerated moments (which come frequently), I found her charming and sweet. She did not suffer at all in comparison with the formidable Marlee Matlin, who played the role (wonderfully) in the US film. François Damiens was fine as the father, if not nearly as boldly eccentric as his successor. The son and the daughter’s boyfriend were barely sketched out, but Éric Elmosnino as the music teacher was actually better than the later actor, less self-consciously “acting”; the role itself was also less snide and more believable.

But the real star was again the daughter in an utterly natural performance by singer Louane Emera. She never dipped into sentimentality and gave the impression that she was born to that life. This seems to be her first film after finding fame in a television singing show, amazing given her poise and confidence, most notably in the final song sequence. I wasn’t surprised to learn that she won both the César and Lumière Awards as Most Promising Actress.

The American film is unquestionably better crafted and more audience friendly, connecting all the dots of the various plot strands and giving them more substance as well as adding the important character of the older brother. But the French film is perfectly enjoyable on its own merits, especially with the performances of the lead and her mother. A fun film.