Dir. Bertrand Blier, 1981, France, 123min, DCP
Starring Patrick Dewaere, Ariel Besse, Nathalie Baye, Nicole Garcia, Maurice Ronet
On the surface, Dewaere’s last film with arch-provocateur Bertrand Blier has the potential to be as shocking as their career-making previous two efforts Les Valeuses and Preparez vos Mouchoirs. After all, Beau-père is the story of a thirtysomething man who becomes romantically involved with his girlfriend’s teenage daughter after her mother dies in a car crash. Yet the film is surprisingly complex and ambiguous, as much about mourning and loss as about transgressions. While it retains streaks of Blier’s trademark black humor, this rarely screened jewel achieves an unprecedented tragic grandeur anchored by Dewaere’s riveting tenderness.