THEn wave this evening at 9.20pm on Rai 3, A happy man tells the story of a woman who, after forty years of marriage, decides to change sex. A hilarious comedy full of food for thought who can count on the acting of a couple of fantastic French actors: Fabrice Luchini and Catherine Frotthe latter famous for many films such as The president’s cook And The Lady of the Roses.
A happy manthe plot of the film on Rai 3
In a town in Pas de Calais, in the far north of France, the no longer young conservative mayor Jean Leroy (Fabrice Luchini) is ready to re-introduce himself to his voters and to govern for the third term in a row. Caught up in the thousand commitments of his electoral campaign one day Jean receives shocking news from his wife Edith (Catherine Frot), mother of his three children.
After forty years of marriage, the woman reveals to him that she doesn’t feel comfortable in her body and that she now wants to start a transition process to change sex. Jean initially thinks it’s a jokebut once he understands that his wife is determined to undertake and complete the transition, he understands that his electoral campaign risks being overwhelmed. Edith’s announcement is a great shock not only for the husband, but also for the family and the entire community of the country and will lead to a series of misunderstandings, which will reveal many of the widespread prejudices, hitherto kept hidden.
Unable to accept his wife’s decision – who buried underwear and women’s clothes and she now wears a fake mustache and asks to be called Eddy – Jean will have to question ideas and preconceptions and find a way to come to terms with his new life.
Catherine Frot and Fabrice Luchini in a scene from “A Happy Man”. (Teodora Film)
A hilarious comedy against all prejudices
Directed by Tristan Séguéla, A happy man And one of the many titles that, in recent years, have addressed the topic of gender identity on the big screen with more or less decent results. In this case, the director chooses the tones of comedy to denounce, with intelligence and irony, stereotypes and clichés still present in our society.
Scripted by Guy Laurent and Isabelle Lazard – who were inspired by true story of a friend of theirsthe movie focuses mainly on the initial intolerance towards the “different” of the protagonist Jean and on his path of “redemption”, which is completed at the end of the film.
Although some narrative turns appear forced, A happy man can count on a couple of extraordinary actorsFabrice Luchini and Catherine Frot, who act together for the first time, creating sparks. The understanding between the two performers is so spontaneous and well-calibrated that it manages to mitigate a somewhat jarring ending and not entirely credible. Thanks to them the film succeeds difficult task of making the spectator laugh and, at the same time, reflect.
The cast includes the formidable actor Fabrice Luchini
Born in 1951 to a family of Italian origins, Fabrice Luchini began acting at a very young ageappearing in the first films at just 17 years old. In the meantime he made a name for himself in the theatre, often reciting the texts of great names in French literaturefrom Céline to Flaubert, from Balzac to La Fontaine.
At the cinema he formed a partnership with Eric Rohmer since the end of the 70sbut also works with other great authors of the caliber of Claude Lelouch, Patrice Leconte and François Ozon, becoming one of the most well-known and appreciated faces of French cinema. In 1993 he won the César Award as best actor for the film Your lover’s lover is my lover of Lelouch while in 2015 he won the Volpi Cup for best male performance at the Venice Film Festival For The court.
Among his latest films stand out Molière on a bicycle, Alice and the mayor And My Marcello alongside Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni. Partner of producer Emmanuelle Garassino since 2018, Fabrice had a daughter, Emma, actress and director born in 1979.
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