Premiering at the 2017 Cannes International Film Festival, writer/director Carine Tardieu’s new movie Just To Be Sure is a tale of familial and romantic love, dreams, hopes, secrets and lies.
When lonely 45-year-old widower and single father, Erwan (Francois Damiens) discovers that Bastien (Guy Marchand), the man who raised him, is not his biological father, he begins a search for his ‘real dad’. Thanks to a local private detective who appears to be more counsellor than detective, Erwan locates the man he believes to be his father – charming and mischievous 70-something Joseph (Andre Wilms), an intellectual and exciting ex-activist – everything his own father, a down-to-earth, easy going fisherman, is not.
Added to this mix, is Erwan’s 23-year old daughter Juliette (Alice de Lencquesaing), filled with bravado and pregnant as a result of a one night stand to an unknown man, and Anna, the hardnosed, middle-aged daughter of Joseph (Cecile de France) to whom Erwan takes an immediate romantic interest. A no-nonsense local doctor, she nonetheless falls easily in love with Erwan, all the while unaware of the genetic connection she and Erwan may share.
The superb ensemble cast all pulled their respective weight in the film. Particular standouts were the fabulous ‘fathers’ Joseph and Bastien; polar opposite characters connected by their common experience of ageing and the unconditional love they have for their children, both played with subtlety, wit and humour. The character of Didier (Esteban) provides much of the comic relief, while also playing a pivotal role in the narrative.
Tardieu is not new to the exploration of the parent-child dynamic. Her previous films, including In Mom’s Head have centred on the mother-child relationship. However, Just To Be Sure, inspired by a friend’s true story, has allowed Tardieu to explore father relationships for the first time. This time, it’s the mothers who are deliberately missing from the story – Juliette’s mother is dead, while Anna’s mother left her father when she was only 10.
The story instead focused on the parallels between pregnant daughter Juliette, who can’t, or won’t, acknowledge the father of her unborn baby, and her own father Erwan’s journey to discover the identity of his biological father. Though well-executed, the importance of knowing your ‘genetic identity’ as an overarching theme was a little laboured, as was the use of Erwan’s job as a minesweeper, to detect ‘unexploded’ bombs as a metaphor for the ‘unexploded bomb’ about to go off in his own life.
The score and cinematography lent significant beauty and charm to this film. Set in the Bay of Morbihan in Brittany, Tardieu used the eroded coastline and changeable weather as a further metaphor for the emotional terrain that Erwan must navigate throughout the film. Classical pieces, including Vivaldi’s Mandolin Concerto, were used to great effect, expressing both urgency and lightness.
While the pace lagged somewhat at the outset of the film, the movie ended on a sweet note. There were a few laugh out loud moments, but this movie was less a comedy and more a romantic drama and heartfelt exploration of family ties, familial love, loneliness and obligation. Those hoping for a French farce in the vein of Le Closet or The Dinner Game or even a quirky rom com in the style of Amelie may leave disappointed. Even so, anyone with ageing parents, family secrets, or those who have found themselves single and looking for love in middle age, will appreciate what this movie has to offer.
Carine Tardieu – On The Town
