C'est pas moi, je le jure!: Anything But Ordinary, Anything But Normal

C'est pas moi, je le jure!, a Quebecois film written and directed by Philippe Falardeau and based on the book by Bruno Hébertt, opens with main character Léon Doré (brilliantly portrayed by Antoine L'Écuyer) waxing philosophical about how the earth began and how he came to find himself in it.

“When I was born the doctor told my mother I was normal. Me, normal? Some doctors should be killed by a firing squad,” said Doré.

Cut to the 10 year-old protagonist hanging himself from a tree, bug-eyed and gasping for breath. It is with these morbid words and images that the 105-minute tale of Doré’s self-destructive route towards understanding and acceptance begins.

Doré is a pale, round-faced boy with large brown eyes that are easily capable of feigning innocence (a skill he uses frequently). While his crimes include theft, breaking and entering and vandalism, the film’s chronology reveals these acts as heartbreaking, attention-seeking behaviours, as they are juxtaposed with scenes of his parents’ domestic quarreling.

During one instance, Doré’s mother (played by Suzanne Clément) is packing her suitcase to leave and he lights a fire in his parents’ bedroom (the image of the burning bed makes a strong impression, loaded with symbolism). Doré congratulates himself on a job well done as his mother, father and brother cease arguing and work together to extinguish the flames.

“It’s like we were a normal family,” said Doré proudly.

Notable, is Catherine Faucher’s performance as Léa, a troubled neighbourhood girl who is abused by her uncle. Faucher and L'Écuyer succeed in portraying a believable bond forged by shared feelings of abandonment. The pair is exceptionally good at depicting innocent banter rife with huge, philosophical implications. Despite the dark opening scene of Doré’s hanging, the film ultimately conveys the positive message that one can always start over despite hardship.

Léon: "We can start a new life."
Léa: "But we're only 10 years old."
Léon: "Exactly. It's not too late."

Philippe Falardeau first solidified his reputation as a thoughtful, cutting-edge director with La Moitié gauche du frigo, a 2000 Claude Jutra Award winner. Arguably, C'est pas moi, je le jure!, released three weeks ago, greatly surpasses Falardeau’s previous films, revealing stylistic growth and improvement.

Each frame in C'est pas moi, je le jure! appears carefully chosen as a means to delicately craft a tale of childhood naiveté coping with harsh realities. Best of all, Falardeau has a unique way of using repeated details as emotional symbols within his film.

For example, the protagonist’s mother, Madeleine Doré, hands him a white stone during one of the earlier scenes. The image of the white stone recurs throughout the film, evoking the Grecian surroundings Madeleine Doré escapes to, yet also serving as a symbol of her love for her son.

C'est pas moi, je le jure!, set in 1968, explores a child’s perspectives on divorce, (considered both a "sin" and a "dirty word") friendship, abuse, abandonment and love.

However, amidst all these themes the film focuses tightly on Doré’s personal struggle with his eccentric identity in a world where “normal” is valued. Here, we find the heart of the film, which wholly succeeds in redeeming the protagonist’s mischief and malice, convincing us that the world is wrong, not Doré’s place in it.

"Life wasn't made for me. But I guess I was made for life," quipped Doré during the closing scene.

C'est pas moi, je le jure! is an exceptionally acted, well-shot film full of heart, humour and insight.

4/5.