“Eloquence is not about telling the truth, it is about always being right”, this masterful quote from the feature film Le Brio, directed by actor/director Yvan Attal seemed to convince its audience. Endowed with a Cesar nomination in the best film category, it succeeds in conjuring Attal’s previous disastrous movie They are everywhere about a French Jew’s anti-Semitic paranoia and identity crisis.

Neila Salah (Camelia Jordana) grew up in Parisian suburb Creteil, and dreams of becoming a lawyer. From her first day as a student at prestigious Parisian university Assas, she has to deal with Pierre Mazard (Daniel Auteuil), a famous professor known for his provocative attitude and misconducts. In order to buy back his reputation, the latter accepts to train Neila for the esteemed eloquence competition. Demanding and cynical, Pierre could be the mentor Neila desperately needs, on the condition that they both manage to overcome their mutual prejudices.

Tackling sensitive French topics such as immigration, suburbs, and social injustice, the film’s introduction proves to be corrosive and brings out our curiosity. Interpreted by a Daniel Auteuil in very good shape, Pierre Mazard’s character is hateful and scornful, but slays narrow-minded morals by means of delicious verbal jousting we can’t resist reacting to. By his side, the singer Camelia Jordana remarkably begins her cinematic career by performing a talented and combative immigration-born suburbanite who is too focused on victimization. Masterful lesson about eloquence, the power of words and their influence on our lives: Le Brio attempts to transmit an open-minded and tolerant message by confronting codes from two radically opposite worlds. They stand alongside each other without understanding one another; hating each other without knowing one another.

Despite its relevance, the film isn’t exempt from flaws; especially concerning the balance between its cynicism and its mushiness, abandoning the former for the latter throughout the movie. With an obvious will to denounce prejudice, the scenario proves to be clumsy by using numerous clichés opposing the old, racist and reactionary professor to the young immigration-born, hoodie-wearing, easily-offended student. Moreover, we could criticize that the movie doesn’t go any further in its purpose and relies on an all-too classic scenario. The fascinating frame of eloquence only serves to improve the main protagonists’ relationship. However, the end is surprising and sufficiently clever to give a coherent narrative which allows the movie to smartly bounce back.

False lampoon of political correctness, but real ode to eloquence, Le Brio doesn’t leave anyone indifferent; although it doesn’t entirely deserve its name, it reaches its goal: being right.

Director: Yvan Attal
Writers: Victor Saint Macary (screenplay), Yaël Langmann (screenplay) | 12 more credits »
Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Camélia Jordana, Yasin Houicha
Aurélien Petit
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