L’ascension par Ludovic Bernard (review)

viewers come to know Pauline Duhez (Émilie Dequenne), well-liked, respected, single mother of two youngsters, daughter of a former miner. An infirmière à domicile— hard-working, efficient, compassionate—she nonetheless sometimes finds it difficult to make ends meet each month. Her interactions with family, friends, and patients introduce the community’s problematic social and cultural issues—unemployment, scarcity of adequate social services, rising crime rate, traditions modified by contact with an influx of immigrants—topics frequently emphasized by politicians of the farright populist persuasion. Three influential male characters surround Pauline, each representing a distinct emotional influence as well as a particular political viewpoint. Berthier (André Dussollier), the amiable family doctor, helped when her mother was dying from cancer and was instrumental in urging her into nursing. However, he is also a Machiavellian political operator (people call him an“old Fascist”) currently working with a new party, the Rassemblement national populaire, headed by a woman who bears a marked resemblance—physically and politically—to Marine Le Pen. Stéphane Stankowiak (Guillaume Gouix), a lost high-school love, reappears and the flame between them reignites; but, unbeknown to Pauline, his anti-immigration attitude (ironic given his surname) stems from his membership in a Neo-Nazi group. Pauline cares for her father, who suffers physical ills and still mourns his wife’s passing. As an old-time left-wing union activist, he cannot understand his daughter’s apolitical attitude; and becomes completely dismayed when, falling under the siren call of the RNP’s “pour la France,” Pauline agrees to run for mayor in the upcoming municipal elections. With this decision the fabric of her life suddenly begins to tear apart. While Belvaux devotes a fair amount of screen time to exposing the “con-artistry” of the fictitious political party (the Front national is never mentioned) that manipulates Pauline’s puppet candidacy, the major strength of this well-acted film lies in his ability to convincingly foreground an engaging personal story against the highly charged political scene. This narrative tactic allows viewers to focus on and empathize with Pauline as a fellow human being who is just trying to cope as best she can within her family and community and be a loving, responsible daughter, mother, and nurse. Such empathy offers audiences the opportunity for a civil discussion about right-wing politicians and the populist rhetoric they wield to capture voters such as Pauline. University of Idaho, emerita Joan M. West Bernard, Ludovic, réal. L’ascension. Int. Ahmed Sylla, Alice Belaïdi, Kévin Razy, Nicolas Wanczycki. France 2, 2017. L’invraisemblance de ce récit en fait un film sans prétention et plutôt bien réussi. “Pour toi, je pourrais gravir l’Everest!” déclare Sami (Ahmed Sylla) à Nadia (Alice Belaïdi). Prêt à tout pour la persuader, il finit par surmonter l’insurmontable. Voici 240 FRENCH REVIEW 91.4 Reviews 241 la base de cette comédie grand public, qui tout comme Intouchables (Nakache et Toledano, 2011), plaira certainement à une grande majorité d’étudiants de tout âge. L’ascension est une reconstitution fictionnelle de l’histoire vraie de Nadir Dendoune (Un tocard sur le toit du monde, 2010), qui se trouve être un des co-scénaristes du film. Samy Diakhaté n’a aucune expérience de la montagne, mais relève le défi de sa promesse afin de prouver son amour à Nadia. De la Courneuve (Seine-Saint-Denis) à l’Everest, son long voyage, suivi par les médias et sponsorisé par une radio locale de la Courneuve, est parsemé d’obstacles qui ne font que renforcer notre soutien pour ce jeune homme sans aucune expérience en matière d’escalade. Hormis la maigreur du scénario et quelques petits dérapages narratifs (la dimension émotive est plutôt faible et la scène finale du film tombe à plat), les petites vannes tant qu’à la réussite improbable de Samy ont une portée quelque peu universelle et finissent par nous faire craquer pour cette performance verticale qui s’élève à 8848 mètres. Hors de son milieu ‘naturel’, Samy étonne et séduit ceux qu’il rencontre tout au long de son escalade en se...