If You Don’t, I Will, directed by Sophie Fillières, opens on a shot of a framed photograph at an art show. The photograph illustrates a brick wall on which the message, ‘Christ asks us to be perfect’, is graffitied. Looking ever the French cynic, Pomme (Emmanuelle Devos) gazes on.“Is that so?” she remarks, setting the tone for this dramatic comedy that is barely dramatic and barely a comedy.
The plot of this film is relatively simple; Pomme is a woman somewhere in her late 40s/early 50s struggling to keep her strained marriage with Pierre (Mathieu Amalric) from completely deteriorating into a puddle of super cool French loathing. In addition, she’s finding it increasingly difficult to stay relevant and wanted in the life of her son from another relationship; a spunky young student who drinks wine and lives with his girlfriend.
To ensure that we feel sympathy for our protagonist, the film proceeds down the Bridget Jones ‘woe-is-me’ route, establishing her as the 21st century woman hated by life, the universe and everything. She’s clumsy, awkward, barely able to fit into her jeans, recovering from a tumour, facing pressure from her boss at work, competing against her husband’s beautiful blonde colleague for his affection, and to top things off, is still lacking the respect of her friends and family. While this move is successful in establishing Pomme’s rut, it has the adverse effect of damaging the credibility of her character and those we are supposed to believe are her closest confidantes. How is it possible for someone like Pomme to function with such a abusive network around her, and why has she not yet packed up her bags and started a new non-terrible life?
Pomme’s life reaches a literal crossroad on a routine hike. Following a heated argument with Pierre, she finds herself having to choose between either returning to the car with her husband, or abandoning him and continuing her way through the forest. It is here that she finds herself making her first defiant act, leaving him to head home while she remains alone in the wilderness.
While Pomme struggles in the cold and tries to convince rabbits to cook themselves, Fillières sets in motion a subtle transformation of these characters for the better. Dynamics change as we gain sympathy and respect for individuals already set in stone.
Faced with this crisis of separation, his wife missing somewhere in the forest, Pierre sheds his thick sardonic skin and develops into a real human; panicked and oozing concern. Mathieu Amalric, in the film’s third act, demonstrates a gorgeously understated internal shift in acting. His charm fades, his eyes soften, and his characters starts to assume a soft vulnerability.
In this turmoil of being lost and discovering oneself, the film finds itself lingering on moments of solitude and introspection, be they outward gazes from a silent taxi or lone figures weaving through bustling crowds. Here, If You Don’t, I Will manages to drop its pretensions and become a real character study of desperation and maturation.
It is now that the film becomes an immensely more enjoyable experience, as we watch these characters find footing in the real world. While it’s not a totally consistent ride, this transformation we witness Pomme and Pierre undergo is rewarding enough to warrant If You Don’t, I Will a viewing.
3/5 stars
