A Self-Made Hero (1996)

Intelligent, droll, well made study of one cowardly man creating a new identity and remaking himself as a hero under the cover of war. Poses interesting questions about identity and truth, and how we all invent ourselves. Some terrific cinematography, and a solid lead performance by Mathieu Kassovitz. On first viewing, something was missing for me emotionally. Sometimes the ideas seemed heavy handed, and other times, motives and characters underdeveloped. But on re-visiting the pieces fell together, and while the underlying ideas still sometimes felt familiar, the sting of the satire danced beautifully with the underlying sadness of the main character.

Impostors and make-believes have always been favorites of story tellers all over the globe, and there are quite a few movies about them. This biopic/mockumentary (with old war veteran's interviews!) is one of the very best, and you enjoy wondering how much truth is in the story long after the movie is over. I guess quite much of it.The "hero" of the story is a very endearing person. The viewer gets to know him as a boy who grows up in fairly conventional circumstances. From the earliest days he lives between reality and fantasy. His acting out adventure stories he had read by himself in his small room in the attic is moving, it reminded me of my own childhood. The "hero" is naive and shrewd at the same time, and his rising in the military hierarchy of post war France as an alleged resistance hero is a fairy tale you can believe very easily. The hero's downfall is at first sight tragic but, on second thought, might also have been carefully planned by him. Well, he lived on happily ever after, they say.The acting is very good, Mathieu Kassovitz proves to be an excellent performer who brings the ambiguity in the hero's character to life and gives him credibility, the child actor who plays the hero as a boy is equally convincing. Some secondary parts are worth remembering: There is a very non-stereotypical homosexual, a French army officer who makes a pass at the "hero" and, as there is no response to his advances, starts a lasting platonic friendship with him, teaching him in a fatherly way in the art of make believe. After becoming an officer of the secret service, the "hero" is transferred to Germany. There he resides in a spacious palace, waited on by an old uniformed German butler. Movie buffs will possibly recognize it as a parody of Erich von Stroheim in Renoir's "La Grande Illusion" (he teaches the socially unexperienced "hero" the waltz).The movie is so good, I expect to see an American remake in the near future. To whoever will try to tackle the subject transatlantically, I recommend Preston Sturges' "Hail the Conquering Hero!".

Set in the period before, during and just after WWII, Jacques Audiard's brilliant and witty satire is about a compulsive impostor, Albert Dehousse, who so successfully convinces the French authorities that he fought in the resistance that he is made an officer in the army occupying Germany. It is not the easiest of viewing for non-French speakers who have to follow the sub-titles, but is well worth the trouble. The movie's timeframe flashes back and forward; and director Jacques Audiard tells the story via a number of different devices, including normally acted sequences, voice-over, mock documentary interviews, newsreel footage, and even shots of the orchestra playing the background music. Mathieu Kassowitz portrays adult Albert as someone who is superficially engaging, but is empty inside, and has to consciously learn and then act out almost every gesture or emotional response. Like the film, Albert consists of disparate fragments, skillfully edited together into a convincing whole.There is probably a pointed message here for the movie's home audience, about the way France as a whole has exaggerated WWII resistance, and swept collaboration under the carpet. But the film raises general questions about how we play roles and falsify our past histories in everyday life; it also reminds us that impostors, including some so-called celebrities, depend on our gulliblity for their success.

I'm not normally a fan of foreign films, mainly because my lack of reading ability, but Un Heros Tres Discret (A.K.A. A Self Made Hero) was one of the best foreign films I have ever seen, if only because it introduced me to French actor, Mathieu Kassovitz.This movie, directed by Jacques Audiard, deals with Mathieu's character, Albert Dehousse, and his rise from a son living under his mother's insanity to becoming a leader of a French Revolutionary faction.If there is anything to praise this movie for, it's for the strong, yet understated performance by Kassovitz