Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: FRANCE [New Orleans Film Festival 2021 - Virtual]

The aspect of a journalist wrapped in fame with an existential crisis is not an unrealistic idea but the narcissitic tendencies of a character like France De Meurs in "France" makes it difficult to show her empathy in a world she created. France, as character, is known for going into war zones and perfectly tries to shoot segments as if she at a theme park, aware yet unaware of suffering around her. And yet as times goes on, it gets to her but the realism of the fragility she is feeling never quite pops off the screen but that might be the point. Lea Seydoux is a wonderfully capable actress but like Marion Cotillard, she really needs to find the right balance which varies by director. "France" moves in various normal ways but feels like a construct. The reasoning of the characters is based in a hypocritical nature on purpose. While this is likely meant to feel ironic, France's battle with "fame" seems empty.

She smiles when she should but it is fake. But again that might be the in-point of its reality. Director Bruno Dumont makes a point as a stylistic verite to have Seydoux at many points (in times of crisis) stop and then stare directly at camera for unusually long on purpose. It is meant as a point where the audience is peering into her soul and seeing her pain. But again there is a lack of empathy in the way France is. It is not her fault. This is the life she has chosen and she owns up to it. She has family tragedy and yet there is no dread or horror that seems to take her down. She is strong and not unaffected but the irony it is supposed to play falls short.

A specific accident sequence actually toys with the audience for a short while before doing exactly what it intends to. A side story sequence works and shows France's vulnerability but one feels more like she should have seen a certain angle coming. People make mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance but the journey of France De Meurs is cold. She does everything she should. She makes mistakes like everyone does. Even though she is held to a higher standard, she cannot get away from herself. The last shot is misleading in certain ways because as much as she wants to feel safe, that contentment is fleeting, an illusion in many ways like the fame she seeks to escape. B-

By Tim Wassberg