Gainsbourg
More than a biopic, this is a good looking, funny and engaging insight into the fact and fiction of France’s best loved chanteur.

Joann Sfar’s debut film documents the life of the one and only, ugly as sin, sexy as hell, Serge Gainsbourg. Sfar has set himself quite the challenge – with the title alone – to convince us of Gainsbourg’s ‘heroic’ attributes. The film captures Gainsbourg’s cheeky wit; indeed, the subtitle makes reference to his most famous song ‘Je t’aime…moi non plus’, which translates to ‘I love you…me neither’. The song was banned in many countries after its release in the 1960s, due to the sexually explicit lyrics contained within the song, and Jane Birkin’s apparent orgasm at the end.

This song encapsulates what the cult of Serge is for many – beautiful songs, cynical, witty lyrics and the ‘me neither’ element – that is, the sense pervading the film that Serge meant a whole lot more to all the women in his life than they meant to him.

But that’s not to say you don’t love the Serge you see on the screen. Kacey Klein makes a brilliant Lucien Gainsbourg, a Parisien Jewish boy growing up in Nazi occupied France. As a child, the conflict between two Luciens is evident; a vulnerable child collecting his yellow star or hiding from Nazi soldiers on the one hand, and a comical, witty and pretty successful charmer on the other.  He even convinces a life model to strip for him as he comments that he can’t draw bras.

Here Sfar’s powerful use of imagery comes to the fore, as Lucien befriends a giant head – ‘the Mug’ – that emerges from an anti-Semitic poster to dance with him. This is the first reference of many in the film to Serge’s ‘ugly mug’; as often referred to by the man himself.  He once said of good looks: ‘I prefer ugliness to beauty, because ugliness endures’. Despite his bravado, this period of his life had a resounding impact on his vision of himself.

As Lucien matures and becomes ‘Serge’, played by Eric Elmosnino who bears an incredible resemblance to the singer, his large bumbling but silent ‘friend’ develops into an exaggerated version of himself, ‘La Gueule’. The resemblance to the Faun in Pan’s Labyrinth is striking, due in part to ‘La Gueule’ being played by the same person and also because of the input from the same make up team. Gueule tempts Serge away from his art – the film is punctuated by many of Sfar’s own illustrations  – and his first wife, to a talking cat, booze, cigarettes, singing and women. Lots of women.

As Serge moves from one liaison to another, it takes a great deal to keep up with stream of famous and beautiful women he was associated with – perhaps most famously Brigette Bardot (played here by Laetitia Casta) and Jane Birkin (Laura Gordon), leaving one slightly unsure of how many children Serge sired, or whether indeed he ever saw them again. Gordon’s portrayal of Jane Birkin in the film was brilliant, though at times it was difficult to grasp why exactly she stayed with Gainsbourg though the drinking, smoking and heart attacks.  The film is dedicated to Gordon, who committed suicide shortly after the completion of the film, and prior to its release.

The breakdown of Gainsbourg’s and Birkin’s may have been an apt place to finish, indeed by this point Serge no longer needs ‘La Gueule’ to encourage him to be reckless, though there’s still a fair bit of the film covering Gainsbourg’s foray into reggae – who knew? – and yes, another child.

More than a biopic – Gainsbourg (Vie Heroique) is a good looking, funny and engaging insight into the fact and fiction of France’s best loved chanteur. I’m not sure it’s convinced me he was a hero, but it’s certainly worth a watch.