The tears of a clown give French tragicomedy Strange Gardens an unexpected power. For 15-year-old Lucien (Damien Jouillerot), there's nothing more embarrassing than his father Jacques' (Jacques Villeret) circus routine. Dressing up in funny feet, white makeup, and a bright red nose to entertain the village, he's a hit with everyone except his own son. But, as Jacques' best friend André (André Dussollier) explains, there's a history to his act that goes beyond simple clowning and to his experiences in the Second World War.
Flashback to 1944. France is under German occupation. Inspired by a rousing radio broadcast encouraging all French men and women to rise up against the invaders, bumbling cowards Jacques and André decide to blow up a railway signalbox. In response, the Germans round up four hostages who will be shot unless the perpetrators confess. But by a cruel turn of fate, Jacques and André are among those taken into captivity. Thrown into a mudpit prison, they're guarded by Bernd (Bernie Collins), a German soldier who tries to help them through their darkest hour with some completely inappropriate comedy.
"PAT SIMPLIFICATIONS"
Possessing the same limited scope as John Henderson's Two Men Went To War, this well-meaning fable suggests that humour can be healing even in mankind's darkest hour. "As long as there's life there's hope," Berndt sagely claims as he entertains the prisoners with his jolly japes and faces off against a sadistic SS officer while sporting a comedy red nose.
The opening quotation cites French novelist Sebastien Japrisot's claim that "Derision in all things is the ultimate defiance of suffering", and the film makes a good job of convincing us that, even in the midst of wartime oppression, Life Is Beautiful. Still, one can't help wondering if those not lucky enough to escape the Nazis' terror would agree with such pat simplifications.
In French with English subtitles.
Strange Gardens (Effroyables Jardins) (2004)
