by Paula Smith
Screened at Edinburgh Filmhouse the 5th of June
The film is introduced by researchers from Heriot Watt University informing the audience of an in-depth panel discussion at the end of the film around the issues of the hearing and the Deaf as the film outlines aspects of experiences from both signers and non-signers.
‘The Belier family’ was released in 2014 and is the second film by Eric Lartigau . The film tells the story of Paula, the daughter of parents who are deaf and how she has an amazing talent for singing. Paula is in a situation where her parents have come to rely on her for communication purposes as she has been taught sign language too. She feels torn between her potential singing career and her commitment towards her parents.
The role of Paula is played by Louane Emera, discovered back in 2013 when she made the semi-finals on the French ‘Voice’. She is very appropriate and fitting for this role which she portrays with dignity and conviction. She plays a mature adolescent with all the trials that period of life brings but on top of that comes the responsibility she feels towards her family. Paula supports her parents in many ways but sometimes it takes its toll on her as it does during her father’s political campaign. Her parent’s initial reaction to Paula’s proposal of attending a singing school in Paris is one of refusal. They consider their daughter as a link with the community and society and feel they will crumble without her presence.
There are many emotional and moving parts of the film including Paula’s audition for the Parisian Singing School. The way she sings and communicates with her parents to make them feel part of the audition process is sentimental and sincere. The film also includes quite comical moments where the main character has to convey her parent’s health issues while seeming unaffected by it. One feels her restlessness and her wish to flee the situation while embracing the humor of the delicateness of the encounter. The role of the younger brother is played with conviction and has reason to be as the young actor is actually Deaf. The work the other actors put into learning sign language is to be admired. It was a busy schedule of four hours a day for five months.
The cast including Karin Viard and Francois Damiens carry out signing with taste and respectability casting aside any doubts of stereotypical images of the Deaf community. Paula is the compromise between the hearing world and the signing world and the film brings these two worlds together in a fashion which makes it acceptable and legitimate. Indeed Eric Lartigau consulted with members of the deaf community to overlook the scenes and give feedback about the accuracy of the signing. This is an endearing film which promotes empowerment and equality. It is heartwarming and is worth the watch.
Issues that were raised during the panel discussion included: Should hearing actors be used instead of actual Deaf actors for portraying such roles? Did the film represent reality? Should children be placed in the situation Paula found her-self in? Some opinions were that Deaf actors would have enriched the experience of the film, others thought that to make the film successful it was vital to use well-known actors. The market stall scene lead some viewers to state that the way the community was shown was misrepresentative and that such a family would have been known and more integrated into the community. Many agreed that a child should not be placed in Paula’s circumstances, that it is unfair. The panel explained everything with great passion and the interpreters did a remarkable job.
[imdb id=tt3547740]
I think « La famille Bélier » is a really nice film because it’s got all the ingredients to make it what we can call a family film. Indeed there are many tackled themes with which we could identify ourselves, differently depending on our age. For example, the different issues linked with the relations between parents and children, or the troubles of teenagers face to love or sexuality or stressful future. In the same way, there are the problems of children who grow up and have to leave home to live their own life and also the issue of couples around educative choices. Finally, we can note the question of difference like the handicap (here deafness). So that’s why I think everyone can recognize someone else or himself in these little stories inside this movie.
Another quality is the good and real play of actors, not only the heroin but also the second roles like parents, brother, friends and specially according to me, the musical teacher. The person who pushes the girl over her limits and changes her destiny. We all have met some people on our way like this character who changed our life.
Moreover, I think it’s not a fault that the actors are not really deaf. First because the aim and the talent of comedians is to make us show that they are credible like gangster, doctor, gay, ill or deaf person. Besides we can imagine another situation with the problem of the lack of communication. Instead of being deaf parents, they could be immigrants not speaking French and only their daughter could translate the conversation. It’s a usual case which happens when the child born in France must help his foreign parents in different administrative demarches. Often it’s too hard and too soon for a teenager to get these sorts of responsabilities. That’s what the heroin feels in the movie.
For ending, I can’t avoid to compare this film with another which got much success in France and Europe too. “Intouchables”. Like “La famille Bélier” it tells several social and human problems. There are also very good actors several themes but I found it‘s stronger and better. I reviewed it and my opinion was similar. So maybe its high quality comes from the talent of director or simply because there is a singular alchemy between a film and a society at a specific time. Like a meeting between two lovers.
Pierre, a French spectator