The journey of the protagonist. If you want to watch a film which shows why you don’t need to obey any of the so-called screenwriting rules, this might not be a bad example. Ozon’s film switches protagonist three times. Each protagonist has their own mini-narrative. These narratives overlap, but they don’t map onto each other within the overall narrative structure. Each character has their own journey to go on, and each one is protagonist of the film in their own right, for a while.
Ozon has a scarcely credible 20 features listed on IMDB. One has few doubts that being this prolific, and working within a system where he presumably knows his next film is going to get made, no matter what happens to his last one, permits the director to take what might be seen to be a more unorthodox approach. There’s also a coherent thematic logic for the approach. Grâce à Dieu (like the Oscar winning Spotlight), takes on the issue of pedophilia in the catholic church. It tells the true story of a priest in Lyon who abused young boys for decades, whilst the bishop chose to turn a blind eye. It’s a very recent case, with individuals being sent to trial even as the film was being made. There were perhaps hundreds of victims. The film can’t tell all their stories, but by refusing to select one ‘heroic’ protagonist, it sets out to at least broaden the scope of its representation. Perhaps it’s this fragmentary approach which permits Ozon to approach the subject with such subtlety, revealing the way in which his characters are flawed rather than heroic human beings, individuals who have been scarred by their abuse. Grâce à Dieu is revelatory in its nuanced handling of one of the more complex, awkward stories out there, one that needs to be told, but if it is to be told, needs to be told right.
No comments:
Post a Comment