Film & TV

Film Review: See You Up There

Still from Au Revoir La-Haut

This is a sumptuous piece of film-making. It is heavy-going in parts, darkly comedic, profound and exquisite.

Pierre Lemaitre’s 2013 novel Au Revoir La-Haut won the Prix Goncourt for that year. It has now been made into a film, with Lemaitre and Albert Dupontel providing the screenplay.
Directed and starring Dupontel, it tells the story of two men who befriend each other on the blood-soaked battlefields of the Western Front. Edouard (Dupontel) cares for Albert (Nahuel Biscayart)) when half his face is blown off. They return to post-war Paris, and decide to make money out of their misery through a fraudulent memorial scheme. Both Dupontel and Biscayart play their roles with depth and authenticity, which is particularly challenging for Biscayart who is in a mask, and does not speak, for the entire film.  Outstanding discovery is young Heloise Balster, in her first feature role, as Louise, who befriends and is able to interpret for, Albert.

This is a sumptuous piece of film-making. It is heavy-going in parts, and darkly comedic. The novel from whence it springs is clearly evident in both pacing and narrative. There are touches of magic realism and of French masque (literally!).  Visually, it is a feast, and special mention must go to Vincent Mathias for cinematography, Pierre Queffelean for production design, Lilith Bekmezian for art direction and Mimi Lempicka for costume design. This was a crew that clearly revelled in the brief they had been given.
Dupontel’s direction keeps the action detailed enough to not lose the novel, but sweeping enough to give us a filmic experience.

This is not an easy watch, and it would not be everyone’s cup-of-tea. But it is a profound and exquisite feature, with ample rewards for those who stay with it.

See You Up There currently screens at Palace Nova Eastend and Prospect.
Check for screening times here.

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