film review: the father of my children
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes in 2009, The Father of My Children is a film by up-and-coming French director Mia Hansen-Love. It follows the life of Gregoire Canvel (Louis-Do de Lencquesaing), a film producer who runs his own production company and has a loving wife and three daughters. While he appears to live the idyllic lifestyle, spending weekends away at his country house with his family, it becomes clear that he devotes all of his energy to his work – by reading countless scripts and self-financing many films. Without giving too much of the narrative away, things quickly turn from bad to worse and his family is forced to deal with the repercussions of his company’s downfall, his debt, and his past secrets.
I particularly enjoyed this film because it focuses on the processes of filmmaking, from the script development to production, and the financial difficulties that can ensue. Hansen-Love noted in an interview, “a film about a producer could be a film about work, commitment, love and life. Most often when I see a producer on screen, I don’t see the cinema as I understand it… it’s more a far-removed fantasy. So it was even more gratifying to depict the cinema through my perspective because it offered an empty canvas and fascinating raw material for human relationships.” (Cited in the film’s production notes, Palace Films, 2010: 5.) Indeed while there is a focus on the filmmaking process, the second half of the film delves into the life of Gregoire’s eldest daughter who is struggling with her father’s absence and her own identity.
The film includes beautiful shots of the streets in Paris and the French countryside, and the acting is particularly noteworthy from everyone involved. The two younger children bring a level of vivacity and humour which is needed considering the poignant themes that envelope the narrative. This film is aimed at audiences who are interested in filmmaking and those who can appreciate a drama about the anxieties of work, and the importance of family.
