The Innocent: a jewel of playfulness, finesse and class (review)

The Innocent: a jewel of playfulness, finesse and class (review)

Louis Garrel tries his hand at heist comedy and signs his best film to date.

Released in October 2022 in cinemas, and after having won two Caesars, The Innocentby Louis Garrel, arrives this Wednesday evening unencrypted on Arte, as well asin replay for a few days. The editorial team recommends it.

It’s the kind of film that did a lot of good in the heart of a festival like Cannes where laughter is a rare commodity. A comedy inspired by Louis Garrel by his mother Brigitte Sy who, during the theater classes she gave in prison, fell under the spell of an inmate who became her companion. Brigitte Sy told this story in 2010 in Free Hands. Garrel uses it as the basis for a crazy story where the son (Garrel himself) of this rebellious mother (Anouk Grinberg, whose 2022 marks the big return after The Night of the 12th) fears for his safety and begins to spy surreptitiously with his best friend (Noémie Merlant) – and inevitably clumsily – on this little thug who swears he has hung up (Roschdy Zem). Without realizing that this meeting with his new father-in-law will profoundly change his life.

The Innocent is an irresistible film of playfulness, intelligence and class where, while nothing is likely, we want to believe in everything. Thanks to a virtuoso screenplay (the first that Garrel co-signed without the late Jean-Claude Carrière but with the writer Tanguy Viel) mixing comedy, romanticism, and heist film, a lively direction (joyfully playing with split screens …) an amazing cast who have a blast embodying their characters and a wonderful soundtrack celebrating variety as a major art (ofA another story by Gérard Blanc at I Maschi by Gianna Nannini). It feels like a 70’s Lelouch Happy New Year. It’s really good to laugh sometimes!

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