8/10 [highly recommended]Stunning film all around!
La môme is the life story of singer Édith Piaf.
Our attention are gripped not only by the story but we are carried away by amazing music, brilliant make up and one amazing French actress, Marion Cotillard.
Love Me If You Dare and Inception are the first films I saw starring Marion Cotillard. With those films I was already in love with her performance. After seeing La môme, Cotillard has become one of my favourite actresses. Her performance as Edith Piaf is so stunning that, at times during the film, I forget I am watching a portrayal. Capturing the singers walk, gestures, facial expression, quirky, tone of voice and stance. Cotillard won the Oscar for Best Actress for this film, and damn did she ever deserve it!
The story is told out of sequence in a mix of flashbacks, memories and 'present' day. We follow Piaf's life in a classic fairy tale of the ugly duckling transforming to a beautiful swan. However, what most fairy tale fails to do is tell you that transformation into the beautiful swan, is not the ending of the story. As we can see in Piaf's story, her shining transformation came with a price.
Towards the end of the film, we find out a vital event that occurred early in the singer's life, which seems to finally shine some light on Piaf's later statement mind that was depicted early on in the film. A mix of songs at different stages in Piaf's life is knitted together by a non-linear storyline of her life. Throughout the film, I found myself slowly starting to piece together the story. It is as if each minute that passes, we are receiving a piece of puzzle building up to a mystery image.
The music is beautiful. It didn't matter that I didn't understand what the songs were about because music and singing had a way to sweep you away.
The second Oscar that this film won was for make up. The detail and realism that was involved in making Cotillard to look like Piaf, succeeded. The make up department was able to capture the singer in the late stages of her life looking ill, weak but still with energy to sing. It is not too difficult to make someone look old, BUT it is mighty hard to make someone look not only 1) old 2) resemble a different person 3) realistic. What really was impressive is the fact that the make up team was able to make the singer look like she's wearing make up to cover her ill stricken skin.
I highly recommend La môme! It is a work of art. Pieced together by a talented/dedicated actress, a great make up team, unique storytelling and pure beautiful music.
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