Review of La France (2007) by Cowa B — 14 Apr 2011

Film Comment calls the work of Serge Bozon and his contemporaries "The Wave With No Name" (March/April 2011). The only film I could find from Bozon and his cohorts to Watch Instantly is this strange and pleasing genre-bender. Part war movie (WWI), part road movie, part musical, part melodrama, it concerns Camille Robin (Sylvie Testud) a not very bright young woman whose husband is away at war. A jealous friend reads to Camille her husband's most recent letter that says he will not be writing again. It's not clear, or perhaps it's intentionally ambiguous, but I got the feeling that Camille may not be able to read and that the friend was lying as to what it says. At any rate, Camille cuts her hair, dresses as a man, and goes off to find him. Almost immediately she joins a group of French soldiers who tell her (him, they believe) that they are looking to rejoin their regiment, but are, in fact, deserting. Along the way, through the course of the film, this little band of soldiers break out in song, with a variety of hand-made instruments, and sing a series of songs that all begin "I, blind girl" and have the sound of sunny '60s California pop.

Favorite quote from the film: "He's waiting for us in Atlantis, in Holland, wherever there are orphans full of infamy.".