MURMUR OF THE HEART (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

Masturbation, pedophilia, and incest seem like topics intended to shock and outrage an audience but in Louis Malle’s sweaty little hands they come off as positively charming. In what is essentially a coming-of-age romp (is there any other kind of French film?) inspired by his own childhood, Malle follows the fumbling antics of fifteen year old Laurent Chevalier, a precocious and intellectual Momma’s boy. With his typically keen eye and gentle touch, the director follows Laurent’s raucous upper class family as they feud, play practical jokes, and shamelessly indulge themselves to life’s riches.

The father is an emotionally distant and highly successful gynecologist. His young wife, Clara (Léa Massari), is unapologetically sexual, carrying on extramarital affairs and acting less like a mother and more like a sister to her children. Thomas (Fabien Ferreux) and Marc (Marc Winocourt) are the obnoxiously cruel older brothers, humiliating Laurent during his first sexual encounter (at a brothel no less) and tormenting both their parents and the house servants.

With a deep affection for rambunctious youth, Malle fills the first half of the film with a rush of self-contained scenes that revel in the unbridled escapades of boyhood. Pranks, familial tyrannies and the adolescent appeal of smoking, drinking, stealing and sex are captured with lighthearted familiarity. Malle not only understands the arrogance and decadence of youth but also embraces it, delivering small honest moments without judgment or criticism.

These early scenes are important narrative and aesthetic choices because of their offhanded authenticity. By capturing the real-life rhythms of these young men, Malle sets the stage for the film’s more audacious conceits.

The second half of the story shifts focus as Laurent discovers that he has a heart murmur, and is forced to move to an exclusive health spa to recuperate. Joined by his mother their uncertain relationship slowly grows more and more intimate, progressing from playful wrestling to lingering hugs and kisses. It all climaxes with what is probably the most tasteful and discreet portrayal of incest ever committed to film. It’s a brave and provocative turn to the story that almost got the film banned upon its release.

But the director’s deft, relaxed touch allows him to openly address otherwise taboo subject matter in a way that disarms potential critics. Everything about the film is so believably modest and tender you accept this verboten act as the logical conclusion to Laurent and his mother’s complex relationship.

The film is filled with wonderfully genuine performances, particularly Benoît Ferreux as Laurent. A non-actor, he has the clumsy, fresh-faced appeal of a teen truly puzzled by adolescence.

Despite the blatantly provocative aspects of Murmur of The Heart, Louis Malle’s tender approach keeps the sexual content in perspective and grounds his flawed characters in reality. Yes, they are spoiled and indulgent people who make foolish choices and grow up far too fast. But by understanding the thoughts and emotions that lead us astray, Malle accepts, without shame, the absurdity of life, reassuring us that everyone learns from their mistakes and eventually heals.