Le Ceremonie (1995)Brilliant and bold, writer-director Claude Chabrol attacks the French bourgeois with his sharply observed drama about class discrimination. It's probably the last Marxist film in Chabrol's own words. Sandrine Bonnaire is just perfect as the mono-syllabic Sophie, a quiet and unassuming woman who is hired by Lelievres family as a "servant" or as “housekeeper,” a term used interchangeably by this realistically hypocritical family. Sophie may be the alpha-woman, someone with a tortured childhood, basically a survivor (hints to her abusive father came from a newspaper clipping and these words "my father smelled like piss”). Like "American History X" did for racial discrimination, the film makes a fascinating case both for and against social discrimination. Consider Virginie Ledoyen's sympathising teenager who tries to be a friend to Sophie; she reassures her that being dyslexic is common and she (Ledoyen) may be able to tutor her; Sophie who is not used to such kindness responds as any wounded animal would: She lashes out at Ledoyen's Melinda by threatening to reveal her pregnancy to the family. Clearly the lower class is unable to relate to the middle and upper class' sense of generosity and their idea of compassion. Sophie confirms this by savouring her friendship with Isabelle Huppert's brash postal worker who wins her trust by treating her as an equal, sharing humble meals with her. The family never treated Sophie as their own disregarding even her only day off, Sunday, to get her to prepare for Melinda's birthday. They pay dearly for their underestimation because Sophie may not be so harmless afterall. TV, images and music also plays an important role in the film. When Sophie feels unable to cope with her tension she retreats to her attic room and loses herself into the wonderful world of TV; it provides her a sanctuary, an immediate comfort from her reality just as the idea of Paul Newman does for Huppert's character. This is an intriguing comment on our fascination with cinema, television and music as an escape from the harshness of our lives. "Le Ceremonie's" relentless attention to character development and prose created a world very much similar to "Junebug," another film that makes the same points about society and how we relate to each other as a people. After "L'Enfer," Chabrol with “Le Ceremonie” once again demonstrates in his interest in exploring the dark nature of man, and themes of alienation and mental illness. ak
Rating: 
out of
