“Jeanne du Barry”, “The Standing Man” … The films to see (or not) this week

Jeanne du Barry

♥♥♥ French biopic by Maïwenn, with Maïwenn, Johnny Depp, Benjamin Lavernhe (1h57).

Even the Palace of Versailles, this old beauty, finds, to see it, a new youth. She charms him, slums him, forces him to be daring and to upset protocol. He yields. She is Maïwenn, the actress-director of “Polisse”, who goes from the offices of the minors protection brigade, where JoeyStarr officiated, to the Hall of Mirrors and the French park, where André Le OUR. She is the courtesan she embodies, Jeanne Vaubernier, whose real name is Jeanne Bécu, a “street girl” whom the Count of Barry (Melvil Poupaud) marries to better offer her, through the Duke from Richelieu (Pierre Richard), to King Louis XV, this jaded lovelace. And here he pulls himself together, falls in love with the beauty and makes her his favorite, to the great displeasure of the court, scandalized, of his three furious daughters, and of the Dauphine of France, Marie-Antoinette of Austria, all shocked to see a “less than nothing”, an opportunist, succeed Madame de Pompadour. We know history. Maïwenn, who we feel clearly identifies with this class defector from the Ancien Régime, restores her in grace and… majesty. She films Versailles, its golds, its chandeliers, its straight perspectives, with the eyes of a wondering shopgirl, but without ever trying to modernize this fairy tale, which will end badly.

If she discovered Jeanne du Barry in the guise of Asia Argento in Sofia Coppola’s “Marie-Antoinette”, Maïwenn does not slip into her plans either Converse or Ladurée macaroons. It is enough for him, without denying his origins, to be reckless and in love, to believe that feelings are stronger than etiquette, to make fun of what will be said, to show how much this destiny of yesteryear has accents of today. Fierce in front of the camera, respectful behind, Maïwenn signs a royal portrait of the royal mistress. We were obviously watching Johnny Depp, this pirate of the Caribbean, in the golden clothes of Louis XV: marmoreal and silent, he does the job. But it is his first valet and tricky beater who wins the piece here: in the role of La Borde, Benjamin Lavernhe is exceptional. At the same time intractable, impenetrable and touching, he initiates Jeanne du Barry into court protocol and protects her from the insults of which she is the victim. It sometimes feels like, behind the scenes, he’s driving the movie to its dramatic epilogue. A film in the form of a plea and with the allure of a tragicomedy, shot in 35 mm, which looks like it is lit by candlelight. Far from her comfort zone, Maïwenn shows that, like Jeanne, she has confidence. She even dares classicism. Jerome Garcin

The Standing Man

♥♥ Social comedy by Florence Vignon, with Zita Hanrot, Jacques Gamblin, Cédric Moreau (1h26).

Here is a film against the grain of the current atmosphere: Henri Giffard, who has all his annuities, refuses to stop working. He is sales representative in a wallpaper company. She sends him Clémence, a young employee, to offer him a favorable starting deal – which he does not accept. Beginning of a friendship, beginning of an awareness of “real life” with Clémence… Florence Vignon, actress and screenwriter behind the camera, observes with acuity the social swell which jostles the characters. The moods of a sales rep, the doubts of a girl on a permanent contract highlight the quest for meaning. A slow story, whose dramatic stakes are delicate: is work a source of dignity, and retirement, a source of slouching-sofa? The question is at the very heart of the Social. Francois Forestier

Sublime

♥♥ Argentinian dramatic comedy by Mariano Biasin, with Martin Miller, Teo Inama Chiabrando, Azul Mazzeo (1h40).

Between strumming guitar in a small rock band and wanting to get out of adolescence, 16-year-old Manuel is looking for his way. We have fun, we rub shoulders with the girls, we run on the beach, but something creeps in. A vague desire, a discomfort, a questioning… And an attraction for a friend, Felipe. This first film is soft, poetic, natural. The transition to accepted homosexuality is evoked with benevolence, and the actors, who are the age of their roles, are very convincing. Intimate cinema, cinema of feelings: the title sets the tone. F. F.

The Wish Tree

♥♥ Australian animation film by Ricard Cussó (1h30).

All animal species live in perfect harmony, according to the ancestral injunctions of a wishing tree that once created this peaceful utopia in a magical forest. Kerry, a young opossum dreaming of adventures and distant horizons, will upset this balance and compromise the destiny of his family. At first glance, this barely masked remake of “Zootopia” and equipped with a stroke of computer pencil did not have much to seduce us. But he succeeds. Because this production is freed from the Disney model and the graphics are forgotten thanks to a staging that twirls. It’s still a bit mechanical, but the scenario still has some nice surprises. Xavier Leherpeur