grangecam Review of Oui, mais...

Oui, mais... (2001)

An excellent cinematic depiction of interpersonal relationship problems

[9/10 · 11 November 2013]

"Yes, But" ("Oui, Mais") tells the story of a teenage French high school girl who is grappling with multiple psychological dramas simultaneously, and how she learns to find her own way with the help of a psychotherapist. In fact, the therapist plays the part of the "expert" narrator of the film as well as playing one of the main characters, in an unusual dramatic construction which the director Yves Lavandier uses very skillfully. The narrator describes, in documentary style, the variety of games people play against each other in their unhealthy relationships, while showing brief scenes to illustrate the unhealthy and self-destructive nature of these games. The characters portrayed in these scenes turn out to be principle characters in the narrative part of the film, and Director Lavandier weaves the narrative in and out of the documentary and narrative modes of storytelling without breaking the flow and the dramatic momentum. The teenage girl, Eglantine, is a delightful if slightly confused character who is under pressure from her mother and from her boyfriend, and engages in telling half-truths and white lies to cover for both of them, which puts her in some difficult positions. The narrator, who becomes her therapist, guides her skillfully in a way no therapist I have ever met can do. Perhaps France has better psychotherapy practitioners than we do in the US. Clearly, the director of this film understands psychotherapy and human relationships, and has made a film which is both delightful and educational. Truly a joy to watch and learn from.