Film Review-Le Nom des Gens

Today's review is Le Nom des Gens and I would like to begin by noting a translation error. The title in French means literally, The Name of the People but the English title is Love by any Name. Le Nom des Gens is not in fact a love story, or rather it is a love story but it is also a  political commentary. When I started watching this I thought it was going to be a romantic comedy, but since I have a weakness for French films I started it anyway and was pleasantly surprised. Arthur is a Veterinarian  who's grandparents were killed in Auschwitz during the holocaust and Baya is a "whore" who's father is from Algeria and witnessed the tragic death  of his family. He meets Baya's mother years later when he is a homeless immigrant in France. Baya is a left wing activist who believes everyone is fascist and sleeps with them to convert them but when she meets Arthur she is surprised to find herself falling in love with him. Both Arthur and Baya struggle throughout the film with their identity and both come from families who avoid talking about the horrible things that have happened to them. While the film is hardly subtle in stating that there is no such thing as a "true" French person and pointing out the hypocrisy of racism towards immigrants, it is also incredibly funny and moving. A dinner party where Baya is instructed not to say anything that might lead to discussing the holocaust but accidentally mentions trains and "the oven" is hilarious but scenes of Arthur attempting to get his silent mother to talk about her past are touching. Even the very obvious moments in the film--Arthur holding a dead swan while hearing the news of his mothers death, talking about a gas to kill thousands of chickens, running through a field hand in hand with nuclear reactors in the background-somehow manage to be poignant not annoying. The last scenes of Baya giving birth while the national anthem plays and Sarkozy is elected drive the film home but still manage to be funny enough not to be saccharine. Arthur's character is a perfect foil to the, at times, over-the-top Baya. Even so, Baya's character is both charming enough and sincere enough to be genuine. The camerawork was also clever, switching between styles and shots at just the right moments and with a great score, this is the perfect time to brush up on your French.

Bottom Line: Lots of great performances and the it's the perfect time for a film about immigration in Europe. Perhaps the "message" here is too heavy handed at times but it is an important one and a thoroughly enjoyable film!