A DIFFICULT YEAR
THREE STARS Two chancers infiltrate a group of activists in the hope of paying off their debts.
COMEDY DRAMA FRANCE French #ADIFFICULTYEAR
Starring Noemie Merlant, Pio Marmaï
The creators of THE INTOUCHABLES and C’EST LA VIE have always worn their social hearts on their sleeves. Weighty issues abound in their films and A DIFFICULT YEAR is no different - social justice, over consumption and sustainability being the hefty targets this time around. Yet while they like to tackle important subjects, they don’t let them get in the way of telling a good yarn, preferring to enlighten through entertainment. After all, everyone loves a comic and no one likes being bludgeoned by do-gooders.
And so they set the stage by first satirising a raft of political leaders who, for generations, have spoken about those oh so difficult, difficult years. Moments later we’re in a shopping mall slugging it out for discounted consumer goods. Or we would be if not for the good fight being fought by a group of eco-warriors led by a young woman code-named Cactus (Noemie Merlant). She’s on the front line of a headline-hunting stunt, struggling to raise awareness and make a difference for the hoards who couldn’t care less.
One of them is Albert (Pio Marmaï), a chirpy, low-key con man who meets the equally low-key swindler Bruno (Jonathan Cohen) - they share same problem, massive debt and no way to pay it down. The grifters soon realise that a possible solution involves infiltrating the group led by Cactus, a pathway that leads, inevitably, to a kind of enlightenment and romance. If nothing, else, there are free drinks.
There’s a lot to like about A DIFFICULT YEAR, foremost a breezy script anchored by compelling performances; it’s fun, witty, charming. It’s also got a few things to say about the power of activism in the face of profit. Mind you, this is also something of a double-edged sword in that A DIFFICULT YEAR doesn’t aim to tackle its subjects all that deeply, and you come to wish that it would. Skimming the surface of these massive social problems doesn’t serve them all that well and there comes a point when it all begins to feel a bit thin.
Sure, it never pretends to be more than it is and there’s none of the self-congratulatory grandeur that undoes films like DON’T LOOK UP. Although the story would benefit from a sharpening of the satirical pen, what barbs it has all hit their targets and the A DIFFICULT YEAR proves not difficult to enjoy. Quite the opposite.
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