Celle Que Vous Croyez: Film Review

This semester in my French literature class we’ve spent a portion of the semester studying French playwright Marivaux’s “Le jeu de l’amour et du hasard.” This is a play about a girl who does not want to marry the man her father has chosen for her. The daughter, Silvia, disguises herself as her servant. However, her prospective husband, Dorante, has the same idea and disguises himself as his valet, too. This play is a comedy, ending with happy relationships and social order restoration as per this time period of comedic plays. 

My professor decided to show us the 2019 film, Celle Que Vous Croyez (Who You Think I am), as a modern adaptation of the same ideas that Marivaux had proposed in the play. The film, starring Juliettte Binoche, is about a mother who decides to create a fake social media profile and falls in love with a young man. Throughout the film I did not originally see how the plot connected back to Marivaux’s work. Yet, while not spoiling too much, in the end the viewer can see ideas of social restoration, love and even commentary on feminism. Although the story was slightly uncomfortable, overall this movie was extremely well done and it kept you on the edge of your seat. I’d highly recommend it.

In class following the film, my professor not only continued the discussion of connections between Marivaux and this movie, but we also analyzed the work of the author, as the film was an adaptation of the book. The author, Camille Laurens, reveals a lot even before actually reading the text or watching the entire thing. The main character is named Claire Millaud. Her last name has a close connection to the author’s name. Mill-Lau… (reflected in Camille Laurens). Further, the name Claire and her Internet pseudonym Clara are similar to the word “clair” in French, meaning clear in English. We discussed in class how the idea of clarity is extremely incorporated in the plot, so it was interesting to recognize that connection afterwards, as well. My professor, Sabine Loucif, is currently writing a full analysis of the film and Marivaux’s work, so I am looking forward to that. 

Generally, the movie can be analyzed much beyond surface-level watching. I really enjoyed both Marivaux’s play and the film. If interested in French literature or movies I would again suggest both of these two. The film can be rented on Amazon for $4! If you watch, let me know what you think:)