[CRITICAL] DIEUMERCI !

Third movie from Lucien Jean-Baptiste , after The first star and 30° color, DIEUMERCI ! is to the image of his director : endearing, down-to-earth and friendly. This is normal, it acknowledges having made 90% of itself in the scenario, inspired by “Acting” of Grégory Boutboul. As the hero it represents, Dieumerci, he had a life before realizing his childhood dream and become a comedian. Like him, he is indian and has the quarantine. Like him, he met with artists and directors from theatre course amazing. Like him, a trigger tragic (that we will not reveal) was the origin of his conversion.

The director, we met with his interpreter, Baptiste Lecaplain (Clement), was not willing at any price to make people laugh or cry by the public, or that DIEUMERCI ! dripping with good feelings. He wanted to touch the viewer with the story and characters and offer him a palette of various reactions. And this goal is achieved since, even if we do pop over often not to laugh, the situations and the dialogue rhythm of reach, in fact, to move us and make us think. And although the dialogues are not written in prose, Lucien Jean-Baptiste seems to have constructed his script as a story with us, delivering us many lessons of life is pretty humble, but a tad easy. The first lesson, which he attached to the title of the film, can in these terms be said : if we believe in his childhood dream we can all achieve it !

Dieumerci is located in prison by a drama teacher who encouraged him to pass the contest of New Talents. It will be understood that the reasons of his presence in prison are primarily tax, and the movie would have no doubt taken a different turn if the hero had been sentenced for the “worst” that it (assault or murder, for example). The film puts in scene the meeting of our two heroes lonely (Dieumerci and Clement) who, to be admitted to the famous contest, must prepare an original scene of “Romeo and Juliet”. The problem is that they are the opposite of one another, a thematic source of misunderstandings and incomprehension. On one side, Dieumerci must work like crazy to pay off debts and pay for his acting classes. Almost in misery, he lives in a hotel password crappy the Drop of Gold, of which one regrets the relate a little bit forced by Lucien Jean-Baptiste.

On the other, the compassionate, the behaviour is very inconsistent, squatting in his home and frequently odd jobs acting as Dieumerci finds him. Because Clement is one hell of a ball ! And he clings to Dieumerci like a mussel to its rock. It would baffes, it’s so tiring. Baptiste Lecaplain, rather convincing in this role (after We York and Free, and drowsy), was said to have taken pleasure to make that “guy”, that he would not like in real life, an endearing character. Clement will, of course, evolve, take responsibility, becoming an adult and a true friend to Dieumerci. And this is the second lesson of life that we offer DIEUMERCI ! : friendship can sometimes grow on a soil that is unlikely, but it is through it that we can grow in life.

“Despite about a little warm, DIEUMERCI ! is a bitter-sweet comedy touching which leaves a smile to the lips and gives balm to the heart.”

What is interesting is the way in which the director is to bring the viewer, the air of nothing, and by subtle touches, on the ground of profound reflections. Thus is broached the topic of racism, which is facing a number of occasions our hero. The two previous opus of the filmmaker dealt already with the problem, as well as metropolis (The first star) in the west Indies (30° Color). While he is recovering slowly from the controversy OscarSoWhite in the United States, Lucien Jean-Baptiste said, he wished, thanks to his films, continue to break the codes, to change the imaginary, and keep hope. The relationship to religion, or faith, is itself addressed by means of the mother of Dieumerci, as interpreted by the unpayable Firmine Richard, in the role of a frog-daubers. Comprehensive, it will be a great support to the sides of Daniel, the lawyer who has transformed her car into a desk (the very fair and all-too-rare Michel Jonaz, whose presence is even more justified by a replica which will be a date).

Finally, watermark DIEUMERCI ! are referred to the difficulties in breaking into the acting profession, especially if one is not young. It describes the life and courses in theatre school and brush portraits, realistic but slightly glossy, the director-jaded (Jean-François Balmer) and the teacher frustrated not to give courses (Olivier Sitruk). The director was therefore made of Dieumerci a hero in the galley really nice, and well mannered, who do not protest not really in the face of his misadventures. That goes his way but hopeful. It includes at the end the reasons for this attitude to be somewhat passive. Despite this choice missing spice allied to a scene a little bit warm, DIEUMERCI ! is a bitter-sweet comedy touching which leaves a smile to the lips and gives balm to the heart.

Sylvie-Noelle

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