Jul 18, 2018
Welcome back to Worldwide Wednesdays!
We’re heading from Spain to France this week with another Netflix Original romantic comedy. Are you a fan of the French film scene? Check out Episode #026 (“Blockbuster”), Episode #110 (“I Am Not An Easy Man”), and Episode #130 (“Faces Places”) for a healthy dose of French cinema. And if you have any other suggestions, let us know at onemoviepunch.com.
And now...
Today’s movie is “To Each, Her Own” (2018), the Netflix Original French romantic comedy directed by Myriam Aziza and written in collaboration with Denyse Rodriguez-Tomé. The film follows Simone (Sarah Stern), a lesbian who is struggling with coming out to her conservative Jewish family, a strain on her long-term relationship with Claire (Julia Piaton). And worse yet, right after proposing to Claire, Simone becomes sexually involved with a Senegalese chef, and things go delightfully awry after that.
Spoilers ahead.
I had a few worries walking into this film. The first was the lack of publicity by Netflix for the film, without even a trailer posted to YouTube. Petty, I know. The second, and more important worry, was whether this film was going to boil down to Simone “finding the right man” and suddenly becoming straight, thus perpetuating a long-standing myth among fragile heterosexual males regarding lesbians. And I’ll tell you right now, it doesn’t do that at all. It was one of many expectations to be challenged by this film.
The setup for the film has all the subtlety of a sitcom. Simone, the lesbian from a conservative Jewish family. Claire, the out lesbian who wants Simone to be honest about herself and their relationship. And Wali, the Senegalese chef from a Muslim family, who finds himself drawn to Simone and much as Simone is to Wali. All sorts of boundaries are established: religious, social, ethnic, and sexual. Every boundary is accompanied by a supporting cast that either helps to support or erode those boundaries, as Simone’s actions to avoid these pressures builds into some truly hilarious scenarios. Sarah Stern, Julia Piaton, and Jean-Christophe Folly execute their awkward love triangle, reacting genuinely to every twist and turn, and dealing with their own turbulent emotions and boundaries as well.
Myriam Aziza maintains a pretty standard romantic comedy pace, injecting enough humor at the right moments to keep the film reflective and insightful, and mostly veering away from direct political or social arguments unless it drives the story. I am glad that we can have a solid film about the changing sexual and social politics of today, especially one interested in an awakening bisexuality from a same-sex character, and about the potential of a polyamorous or open relationship, and about the pressure of religious and social upbringing in terms of finding love, and about whether any or all of these expectations should matter. One of my main criticisms was the lack of a definitive ending, but that’s one more expectation this film gladly shatters.
“To Each, Her Own” (2018) is lighthearted romantic comedy about social, cultural, and sexual expectations in modern France. Myriam Aziza and Denyse Rodriguez-Tomé have crafted a deceptively complex script steeped in boundaries ready to be pushed, and in some cases, shattered altogether. Fans of romantic comedies and LGBTQ films should definitely check out this film, but be warned. This film also contain scenes of absolutely amazing looking food, so in addition to having your interest piqued, you may also be incredibly hungry.
Rotten Tomatoes: NR
Metacritic: NR
One Movie Punch: 8.2/10
“To Each, Her Own” (2018) is rated TV-MA and is currently streaming on Netflix.