Lie With Me [Arrête avec tes mensonges] *** (2022, Guillaume De Tonquédec, Victor Belmondo, Jérémy Gillet, Julien De Saint Jean) – Classic Movie Review 12,513

Olivier Peyon’s moving, powerfully emotional 2022 French drama film Lie With Me [Arrête avec tes mensonges] stars Guillaume De Tonquédec as a gay novelist who returns to his home town after many years and meets his first love’s son (Victor Belmondo).

Director Olivier Peyon’s moving, powerfully emotional 2022 French gay-themed drama film Lie With Me [Arrête avec tes mensonges] stars Guillaume De Tonquédec, Victor Belmondo, Guilaine Londez, Jérémy Gillet, and Julien De Saint Jean, and is based on the acclaimed 2017 bestselling novel by Phillippe Besson.

Guillaume de Tonquédec stars as successful gay middle-aged novelist Stéphane Belcourt, rather introverted and introspective, who returns with ambivalent feelings to his French home small town for the first time in many years, and finds himself reluctantly confronting the ghosts of his past. He is at a bit of a critical phase of his life, loveless, a bit lost and confused, and, though normally prolific, blocked as a writer.

Though he doesn’t drink, Stéphane is invited as brand ambassador for the town’s famous cognac distillery celebrating its bicentennial, and, slightly surprising himself by accepting, is stunned to discover that one of the company’s workers is Lucas (Victor Belmondo), the son of his teenage first love Thomas. Local boy Lucas works in America now, and he is busy showing a bunch of Americans around the distillery and the town. The town and the French countryside look idyllic, and they are, but they are also a trap for anyone, er, different.

Stéphane tells stories in his novels, which are a kind of a series of lies, hiding his autobiographical details in fictional characters and plots. Openly gay, and open about some of his life experiences, he wants to tell the truth, and this is his way to do it. As a kid, his mother has told him: Arrête avec tes mensonges [Stop with Your Lies], meaning stop telling stories. But he has never stopped.

On the other hand, Lucas is after the truth, and this is his way to do it. Though Lucas is actually telling a series of lies, it turns out it was he who arranged the invitation, curious to find out all about his father, who has recently committed suicide. His father has hidden his relationship with Stéphane all his life, and hidden the gay side of his nature. He has never told anything whatever to his son, but he has left enough clues behind for him to follow, and he knows the son will thus find the truth.

Provoked by meeting Lucas, Stéphane is overcome with memories of his passionate secret love affair with Thomas, as the film moves back and forth smoothly through the two eras. He has to tackle his feelings towards both Lucas and Thomas, and finally put the ghosts to rest. Lucas provides Stéphane with closure and Stéphane provides Lucas with closure – and in both cases peace of mind.

The story is partly about the memory of adolescence and the force that some first love can have, for better or worse, thrilling or destructive, or both. But is more about coming to terms with the way things are, and about coming out, living life in the open not in the shadows, even if there are some raised eyebrows and sniffy looks. The Americans and the locals aren’t all that thrilled with Stéphane, apart from the idea that he is a celebrity as a successful novelist and, for the French, a local boy.

In this good-hearted story, Stéphane finally wins everyone over with his key speech to the assembled worthies. I’m not really sure this would happen in real life. It didn’t feel entirely convincing, but the film does a good job of trying to make you believe it. The film seems to propose the idea that in 2022 we live in a brave new world where gays can live freely and openly, and don’t have to in the shadows, not even in the conservative French provinces. I’m not really sure this would happen in real life. It didn’t feel entirely convincing, but the film does a good job of trying to make you believe it.

So the film is rather romantically inclined, sentimental and optimistic, with a nostalgic glow. But it is still a lovely and moving film, with beautiful photography of the French countryside and fine acting by the five main principals, who also include Jérémy Gillet as young Stéphane, Julien De Saint as young Thomas, and Jean Guilaine Londez in a very attractive turn as the event’s organiser.

Olivier Peyon ensures the film is very polished and smooth, though this is an occasion when more rough edges would help. With its lack of painful passion, anger, rage and hurt, and its reluctant, tentative hero, it feels a bit restrained and comfortably middled aged, all done and dusted, though there is an agreeable atmosphere throughout and there are certainly some extremely affecting and effective tearful moments. and its good heart and warm spirit overcome any objections.

It is a nice, sweet, civilised pleasure of a film.

Writers: Philippe Besson, Arthur Cahn, and Olivier Peyon.

The film premiered in the Angoulême Film Festival on 27 August 2022. It launched in the UK at BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival and is released in UK & Irish cinemas on 18 August 2023.

The running time is 98 minutes.

Note the English language title change from Stop with Your Lies [Arrête avec tes mensonges] to Lie With Me, which is claver play on the word Lie, and much sexier, but not the same thing at all.

Victor Belmondo is the grandson of Jean-Paul Belmondo.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,513

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