Elisa movie storyline. Marie is a teenage girl living a semi-criminal life on the streets of Paris with her friends. Her mother, Élisa, suffering from a deep depression, tried to kill little Marie when she was very young and subsequently committed suicide, while her father has never been part of her life. One day she decides to take revenge on her father for not helping her when she lost her mother. But when she finds him she realises that she cannot kill her own father, at least not before he has had the chance to explain.
Élisa is a French drama film directed by Jean Becker and starring Vanessa Paradis, Gérard Depardieu, Clotilde Courau, Sekkou Sall, Florence Thomassin, Firmine Richard, Olivier Saladin, Philippe Duquesne, Michel Bouquet and Catherine Rouvel. It was released in 1995 in France. It screened in Sarasota French Film Festival in November 1995.
Cast and Characters
Vanessa Paradis as Marie Desmoulin
Gérard Depardieu as Jacques ‘Lébovitch’ Desmoulin
Clotilde Courau as Solange
Sekkou Sall as Ahmed
Florence Thomassin as Élisa Desmoulin
Michel Bouquet as Samuel
Catherine Rouvel as Manina
Firmine Richard as P.M.U. Customer
Olivier Saladin as Kevin
Philippe Duquesne as Gitane Smoker
José Garcia as Taxi Passenger
Film Review for Elisa
Élisa is a clumsy but well-intentioned variation on the Lolita theme. The suggestion of incest earned the film a certain notoriety on its initial release in France, but this shock value has since lost its impact and, generally, the film appears somewhat kitsch and dated.
The film was an obvious attempt to launch the acting career of the young model-cum-singer Vanessa Paradis, and it is apparent throughout that this is the film’s main (some would argue sole) raison-d’être. Paradis’ acting ability, or rather the lack of it, is all too noticeable, and this seriously handicaps the film throughout, particularly in its more dramatic sequences.
It has to be said, that Paradis’ role in this film is extraordinarily demanding, and her performance, although unlikely to win many awards, is not nearly as weak as Jean Becker’s somewhat half hearted direction. Where the film is most deficient is in capitalising on the drama inherent in the plot.
Rather than developing some of the more interesting strands into a compelling narrative, it is more content to flip lazily from one implausible situation to another. In contrast to Becker’s previous film, the highly recommended L’Été Meurtrier (1983), Élisa is marred by weaknesses on both narrative and characterisation fronts. None of the characters entirely rings true and the plot just seems to drift without any idea where it is heading.
Fans of Vanessa Paradis will doubtless love this film, in which she appears with that icon of 1990s French cinema, Gérard Depardieu. The pairing is not as disastrous as you might expect, with Depardieu somehow managing to bring out the best in his far younger co-star. Paradis’s performance isn’t as convincing as in her previous (debut) film Noce Blanche (1989), but the script is mostly to blame for this.
Elisa (1995)
Directed by: Jean Becker
Starring: Vanessa Paradis, Gérard Depardieu, Clotilde Courau, Sekkou Sall, Florence Thomassin, Firmine Richard, Olivier Saladin, Philippe Duquesne, Michel Bouquet, Catherine Rouvel
Screenplay by: Jean Becker, Fabrice Carazo
Production Design by: Thérèse Ripaud
Cinematography by: Étienne Becker
Film Editing by: Jacques Witta
Costume Design by: Gil Noir, Marie-Françoise Perochon, Arianne Phillips
Art Direction by: Thérèse Ripaud
Music by: Michel Colombier, Zbigniew Preisner
Distributed by: Gaumont, Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: February 1, 1995 (France)
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