French cinema is relatively well known and widely recognised compared to other non-English speaking movies, but its popularity is still really really far from the ones made in the world’s first language. And then there are the French independent films. I don’t think indie lovers differentiate between movies based on language, but English ones still get more publicity. Luckily, we have film festivals all over the world that specialise in low budget independent movies. LOCO – London Comedy Film Festival – is one of them and it’s happening right now in several venues across the UK’s capital. In this year’s programme they have 6 new movies celebrating French comedy and culture, including Gaby Baby Doll, Sophie Letourneur‘s fourth feature.
Gaby Baby Doll is about a woman who suffers from depression and anxiety; her psychologist advises her to go away to the countryside and spend some time on her own – and this is where the movie starts. I have to say I needed some time to get emotionally involved in the story. The first half an hour or so seemed a bit slow, it only started coming together when Gaby was left alone. Even though she was supposed to be on her own, she took some friends and a boyfriend with her at first and I know it was necessary for us to see how dependent she is, how scared she is of loneliness, but for me it got a lot more engaging once they left. And when it happened, it was like magic!
We were lucky enough to have the director over for a Q&A after the screening – she told us that her intention was to create a fairy tale. And it did feel like a fairy tale, but it also felt really honest, deep and real. This is one of the reasons I love independent cinema so much – because it tells stories of real-life human beings. People are so interesting on their own, they don’t have to be turned into anything special to have powerful stories that warm our hearts or sometimes freak us out. And it’s much easier to emphatise with characters that are just like us – ordinary people with ordinary lives and problems just like ours.
Gaby is sad and teffiried to be on her own, so she tries desperately to find someone – anyone – to spend the nights with her. She uses people, manipulates them even – but it’s all because she is ill and vulnerable. She is like a baby, she doesn’t really know how to take care of herself, she just wants to eat and sleep and not be alone. And then she meets Nico, the caretaker who lives in a tiny shack and wants nothing else than to be left alone. Gaby refuses to go home and even though Nico keeps moaning about her neediness and her complete lack of independence, he tolerates her. They go on walks together, share meals and slowly they start to change. Gaby learns to listen a bit more and Nico begins to open up. They go back to the house Gaby was staying in and while she realises she doesn’t need other people that much anymore, Nico wants a bit more than his closed off life at the shack. But he still can’t be really open, saying it out loud that he would like to keep being with Gaby – and she is so happy she’s not scared alone anymore that she doesn’t realise. She doesn’t realise that maybe Nico needs her now and that even though she might not need anyone, she still wants Nico.
But it’s a comedy and a fairy tale so we get the happy ending and it just feels right and real. Because it’s not perfect – Gaby is still not alone and yes, it’s mostly not a need anymore but something that she wants; but that doesn’t mean she could be completely happy with her own company. As Sophie Letourneur said, we don’t change that much. And I think that’s the point, that’s why this film is important. Because it shows us that even though we can’t change who we are, we can make changes once we learn to accept our imperfections.
When I watch/hear/read something I always think about how it makes me feel at first, but then I’m always curious about what it meant to the artist. If they had the same thoughts and feelings or did it come from a completely different place? Unfortunately we don’t have the chance that often to hear their part of the story, so it’s always really interesting when we do. I’ve had this feeling about the movie and Gaby’s character that it comes from real, painful experiences, but I was surprised how naturally the director spoke about her own fears of loneliness and how personal this story was – because talking about our vulnerabilities – at least for me – is not an easy thing to do. At all. So I felt really lucky to be a part of this screening and Q&A.
Sophie Letourneur also spoke about the way she usually works and what her process was this time – she doesn’t really work with professional actors and she uses a lot of improvisation before shooting, but this time both her leads had acting backgrounds so it had to be a bit different. She improvised with her brother instead and was inspired by her daughter’s love for Japanese culture.
Gaby Baby Doll is a lovely French comedy with a deeply real story and some wonderful acting on both Lolita Chammah‘s and Benjamin Biolay‘s part. It needs some time to pull you in, but once it does, it doesn’t let go easily. It makes you laugh and it also makes you think about your own fears – with the message that once you learn to accept them, you can make changes about them. And it is also a hilariously funny fairy tale everyone should see!
LOCO London Comedy Film Festival – in its 5th year – is on until 1st May across some of London’s loveliest cinemas with premieres, classic screenings and local film clubs. Check out the programme here – and see you there!
fanni in wonderland 