[CRITIQUE N°1] HEAD held HIGH

It’s funny the marketing.

It allows you to sell the security social of the great annual mass of the film, a film of love the redeemer on the background of the judge for children, as a film ” punch “. But that one is not mistaken there. Yes, Head high, tells us the story of the young Malony, offender from the cradle, drifting between the office of a judge, his mother’s apartment more child that he and the educational centers. Yes, Emmanuelle Bercot, with a realism almost documentary legacy of its passage in the writing of the fabulous Polisse, is a portrait of a juvenile justice system that does everything to avoid falling in the suppression, pure and simple. In spite of the orders of a prosecutor, novice rather amateur of the jail, do not touch 20.000 €. Yes, the film approaches the issue of criminal youth, the educational interest of the prison and a whole bunch of other stuff social very interesting.

Except that in fact, and it is there that there is deception in marketing, Head high, we speak mostly of love. The love that hurts. The love that makes it grow. A message is commendable, but that does not avoid falling into the pitfalls of the social drama type, and the child unable to express his feelings other than through extremes (crying, violence, screams, this is your choice). It is no doubt true. This is probably how it happens in real life. But we have already seen Mommy. And Dolan, like it or not, knows how to stage this ” madness “.

Because too much to play the card of realism to the radical, Bercot is guilty of a fault. His message gets lost and we end up not knowing if it tends to the universal, where if she just wants to tell us about a course, among others. One of Malony, more saved by the encounter with Tess for adults yet presented as central. And too bad for all the other young people who will not have a chance to find love ?

“Between good ideas, power and big misfire, it was good, but not top.”

Rest of the emotions intact and scenes of an intensity some have been worn by actors well directed. Magimel, restraint, done a great job in the role of the educator. The queen Deneuve is incredible in court for child support. Rod Paradot burst onto the screen and will be without doubt the revelation of the Croisette. Only Sarah Forest, casting error, sounds fake, like her teeth.

In short, good ideas, power, and big misfire, it was good, but not top.

Stephen

Read the review of Georgeslechameau – “this is a film that lacks the mise-en-scene and channelling the energy”