On the verge of a literary razor

Complete even in the audio treatment of off-camera sound that immediately imposes its proximity.

This eloquent, malicious voice, as full of self-importance and manipulation as possible, is clearly that of Matzneff, who continues to whisper in his victim's ear (and the spectator's ear) to justify, in the name of love, the vile. Writer behavior.

A conscious voice, characterized by the softness and delicacy of a snake, through which director Vanessa Filho (Angel's mouth (with Marion Cotillard), he succeeds in giving the predator an almost physical “presence”, thus showing his indelible mark on the psyche of his victim, a girl who has become a woman, but no less hunted, even if the man from his situation has disappeared for decades.

The film is nominated for the 2024 César Award for Best Adapted Film. This trophy will be well deserved.

Approval The young star, Kim Higlin (granddaughter of singer Jack Higlin), gets under the skin of this literary-passionate, naive and “intellectually mature” young girl, who dreams of “big love” at the height of her reading, opposite Jean-Paul Rueve in the role of the literary predator.

Awesome ruff! We're not used to seeing him go beyond the world of comedy; He's so convincing here that it becomes scary.

Kim Higlin in ApprovalWritten by Vanessa Filho. (Julie Trannoy)

Literature and reality intertwine

Theatrical performance creates a continuous back-and-forth between literature and reality.

Literature, as a melting pot of idealized loves, fairy tales that are as passionate as they are erotic, and fantastical relationships. The truth is prose: unattractive material, with a disappointing listlessness. But when bruises are not just words: they mark the body forever.

This device has its origins in the double meaning of the phrase “Reading a book can change the course of a life,” uttered by Matzneff during a social dinner. It will continue as subtly as possible until the final scene.

Matzneff, a recognized liberal, showed unique honesty and obscenity in his books. He admitted that his publications – largely autobiographical – showed the most outrageous details of his antics with (very!) young men…while presenting this intimacy beneath a literary, philosophical and poetic veneer.

Taking advantage of the fact that the writer likes to see the intimate sphere and the public sphere intertwined, the director in turn introduces herself into the gap where reality meets literature. The difference is that its story shines in its precision and intelligence (plus a keen sense of omission, need we emphasize that?).

The film also depicts the complicit silence of the Parisian literary world of the mid-1980s, in which the famous writer seemed to rule the roost. An environment where Matzneff's sexual instincts are notorious, but where everyone prefers to look elsewhere, content to vent their embarrassment or disagreement through a funny outburst or literary joke.

This cowardly or conniving attitude extends to Vanessa's mother (the character played by Letizia Casta), who is caught between protective support and non-interference. This ambiguous role is the most strange, as the film seems to have moved away from reality, to respond to purely dramatic imperatives.

When she's not delving into the repertoire of Barbara — whose childhood was also stolen by an incestuous father — the score engages in this play on literary fiction, particularly by making… Don Juan For Mozart, it was an echo of Matzneff's seductive speech, this Valmont (protagonist) Dangerous relationships) Low floor (and before puberty).

Approval It is presented in the cinema.

In the credits

• Rating: 8/10
• Title : Approval
• Genre: Drama
• Director: Vanessa Filho
• Starring: Kim Higlin, Jean-Paul Ruff, Laetitia Casta, Elodie Bouchez
• Duration: 1 hour and 58 minutes