Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life

3 Paws
Seen recently at the Film Forum, NYC

I, being the unsophisticate that I am, had no idea who French singer Serge Gainsbourg was before I took my seat in one of the musty theaters at the Film Forum, one of New York City's shrines to independent cinema (they get extra bonus points for selling T-shirts with dogs on them - I bought one, of course).

Turns out it didn't matter. I was captivated (although at times confused) from beginning to end. I normally wouldn't recommend slightly sinister muppet-like creatures as plot devices, but they worked in this case. I was immediately won over by the irrepressible charm of Kacey Mottet Klein, who played a young Lucien Ginsburg before time and circumstance changed his name.

The charm faded as the character aged on screen. By the end of the film, I felt nothing but sadness for the man the little pistol had become. If despair truly fuels the creative process, the artist had more than his fair share of raw material.

Bonus Bones: 20
Aaaaaah the French. There were four - count 'em four - dogs in this one. One of them even had his own death scene.

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