Léonor Serraille’s debut feature opens with a hysterical woman. First, this redheaded fury is raging in a stairwell, demanding to be let inside a flat. Next thing you know, she is ranting in an office to a man in a white coat trying to assess her state of mind.
In her first feature, the writer-director pulls off a kind of sleight-of-hand. Rather than escalating, the outward drama decreases after the opening. Nevertheless, this doesn’t weaken the pull of this dramatic comedy, but rather the opposite. Hysteria gives way to nuances in the protagonist.
Montparnasse Bienvenüe is a charming character study of Paula, who has returned to Paris after some time overseas, but who has no patience for the city’s social norms. Paula has lost her home, and her relationships with her mother, ex and friends are fragile at best.
Still, the character isn’t tragic. Even though the protagonist is depicted in relation to the ever-changing milieus and people – only highlighting her detachment – Paula also has a hefty dose of glee. It is increased in part by the engaging lead performance by Laetitia Dosch and the scenes at time taking a comedic swing.
Already with Montparnasse Bienvenüe, Serraille proved to be on the side of the underdog. At the same time, she made herself one to watch by friends of French Cinema.
Kaisu Tervonen