Élisa (1995)

Élisa: Directed by Jean Becker. With Vanessa Paradis, Gérard Depardieu, Clotilde Courau, Sekkou Sall. Marie has had a tough childhood ever since her mother Elisa committed suicide. She has spent most of her life in an orphanage and now makes a living as a small time criminal in Paris. Now she wants to unravel her past and find her father whom she blames for her mother’s death.

“The first scene of this French drama was so upsetting, I turned it off and seriously considered not turning it back on again. Florence Thomassin smothers her young daughter with a pillow before committing suicide. Why would anyone want to watch that? I did end up turning it back on and watching the rest of it-otherwise I wouldnu0026#39;t be writing a review-and it got considerably better.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs you probably know, I watched Élisa because of Gérard Depardieu. Iu0026#39;ll sit through anything to support my celebrity boyfriend. And while he didnu0026#39;t even come on the screen until the second hour, I was glad I got to see his performance. His character could have easily been turned into a straight villain with no redeeming qualities, but with Gérardu0026#39;s beautiful expressions, itu0026#39;s easy to root for him, even after a very unlikable entrance scene. He puts such thoughtfulness into the role, he actually improves the script without changing a word. Why is he always so great?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe main character, Vanessa Paradis, shows a raw hunger for life, revenge, and love that most of the time makes her incredibly unlikable. However, whether itu0026#39;s her charming beauty or the reminder that she is very young and is only despicable because thatu0026#39;s the only way she knows how to survive, the audience canu0026#39;t help but hope she gets her act together. Sheu0026#39;s spent her entire life without a mother and hating an absent father, scamming and stealing with her friends, Clotilde Courau and Sekkou Sall. Her actions are truly awful, but when she finally decides to track down her dad and get some answers, the audience sees sheu0026#39;s trying to create a better life.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you liked Obsession, check out this film. That one was a thriller and this one is more of an indie drama, but theyu0026#39;re similar enough that youu0026#39;ll probably like both.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to upsetting scenes involving children, I wouldnu0026#39;t let my kids watch it.”