While taking a look at the beautiful city structures and lights, Paris gets to the heart of the city: its people. The film focuses on several characters, at the forefront of which are Pierre (played by Romain Duris) and his older sister Elise (the lovely Juliette Binoche of The English Patient). Pierre is a dancer at the Moulin Rouge in desperate need of a heart transplant. While he is struggling to cope with this, Elise, a divorced social worker, and her three children move in with him. Elise feels that it’s her sisterly duty to take care of Pierre, and she takes this as far as a quest to find her lonely brother a girlfriend.
Along with this pair is history professor Roland Verneuil (Fabrice Luchini) who is trying to woo Laetitia (Mélanie Laurent, recently in Inglourious Basterds), a student. Verneuil’s method of seduction is a series of hilarious antics, from anonymous texts both modern and classic to his overtly sexual dancing. And this is just one aspect of his mid-life crisis.
Then there’s Caroline (Julie Ferrier) who is trying to gain her independence by working a market stall, which is decidedly more difficult for her than others, as her ex-husband works next to her and all the men continually make passes at her. And most touching of all, the character Benoit (Kingsley Kum Abang) who is not in Paris at all, but is desperately trying to get there from Cameroon.
It is Benoit who manages to lead us to the real essence of this ensemble piece. When he fails at his first attempt to get out of Cameroon, his guide says that they’ll try again tomorrow, and Benoit asks, “Is it worth it?” The guide's response suggests that it really is worth all the pain that they have gone through so far, and that they will go through every day until Benoit is able to leave. The message is simple: everything we go through on a daily basis is worth it in the grand scheme of things. It may be painful now, but perhaps it is only so we, too, can get to our Paris someday.
Paris succeeds not only in this aspect, but also in displaying the interconnectedness of our lives. On one level, we have direct relationships: Pierre and Elise, Roland and Laetitia, Caroline and Jean, etc. But on the next, Laetitia and Pierre are practically neighbors, while Elise has a crush on Jean, Caroline’s ex-husband. Director and writer Cédric Klapisch weaves a tapestry of characters and shows the audience that their paths cross with so many different people on a regular basis, and gives them a glimpse of the possibilities behind each life they encounter.
A film like this could have been depressing or dull, but Klapisch’s world of incredible and comically gifted characters combined with the hints of hopefulness make Paris insightfully uplifting. Even those who have never been to France will be delighted with their look at the wondrous Paris.
DVD Bonus Features
This DVD doesn’t have a ton of special features. There is only a featurette entitled “Making of/Behind the Scenes of Paris” and the trailer. Don’t let this fool you. The “Making Of” featurette is surprisingly long, but it’s worth taking a look at if you enjoy behind the scenes footage or are interested in directing or cinematography.
"Paris" is on sale March 16, 2010 and is not rated. Comedy, Drama, Romance. Written and directed by Cedric Klapisch. Starring Fabrice Luchini, Franc?ois Cluzet, Julie Ferrier, Juliette Binoche, Kingsley Kum Abang, Mélanie Laurent, Romain Duris.
