Muriel fait le désespoir de ses parents (Muriel's Parents Have Had It Up to Here)

A nice -but very French- made for TV movie by Philippe Faucon that made me recall when movies were light and was common to show things that nowadays hardly anyone shows in the small or big screen. This feel-good movie with not much drama, showing life as it is, gave me a good entertainment moment while telling a "normal" story, French style of course.

Definitively a mainstream movie with nothing special, one that looks and feels like many European made for TV movies, but story plus storytelling style makes watching very enjoyable even today, seventeen years after was first released on French television. Yes, this is a 1995 movie that if you haven't watch it, I suggest you do. Good is to mention that film was screened at 1996 Locarno in competition at the Cinéastes du Présent section.

Film tells a very important slice of the life of Muriel played by Catherine Klein and is based on real life experiences that happened to the actress, who also co wrote the script; tells about Muriel realizing she's attracted to her friend Nora, how she tells her mother that she prefers girls over boys and how she finds her happy life. This simple and light story also talks about very profound things but you have to see film to find them.

Absolutely not the regular movie in the lesbian interest genre and one film that I know goes above and beyond the genre as could please general audiences that still recall how simple life was or could be, and do not mind watching very European movies.

A great unexpected surprise for me, which made me wish filmmakers could do now films as light and as real as this one as not only is very entertaining and makes you feel good, but also shows/says something profound that can stay a while in your head.

Enjoy!!!

Watch scene @MOC

Leaving here an excerpt from the dialogue that perhaps sounds dramatic but in my opinion was not at all. To me it was a wow-moment and made me smile.

MURIEL : Si, y a une chose que je voudrais te dire.
SA MÈRE : Qu’est-ce que c’est ? T’as fait une bêtise ?
MURIEL : Non mais faut que je te parle d’une chose.
SA MÈRE : Qu’est-ce qu’il y a ? T’as fait quelque chose de grave ? T’as quand même pas volé ? T’es enceinte ?
MURIEL : Non.
SA MÈRE : T’as couché avec un mec ?
MURIEL : Non.
SA MÈRE : C’est quoi ?
MURIEL : Voilà, y a une chose qu’il faut que tu saches. Faut que tu l’admettes et que tu me prennes avec ça parce que je ne changerai pas. C’est que je préfère les filles aux garçons.
SA MÈRE : Comment ça ? Qu’est-ce que tu veux dire ? Comment ça ? Mais t’as pas pu faire ça !
MURIEL : Me regarde pas comme ça, comme si j’étais sale.
SA MÈRE : C’est pas possible enfin ! Tu sais ce qu’elles font entre elles ces femmes-là ? C’est pas possible, t’as pas couché avec une fille !
MURIEL : Si.
SA MÈRE : Non, c’est pas possible. C’est pas vrai. Tu mens. Tu dis ça pour m’énerver.
MURIEL : Non, je mens pas.