‘Ari’ Review: An Intensely Performed if Loose-Limbed Portrait of an Emotionally Unstable French Man Trying to Fix His Life

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With merely three films to her credit, Léonor Serraille has distinctly made a name for herself within the densely populated realm of French art cinema. Her 2017 debut, Montparnasse Bienvenüe, garnered the esteemed Camera d’Or at Cannes and further solidified the rising stardom of its principal actress, Laetitia Dosch. Her subsequent work, the poignant yet underappreciated immigrant drama Mother and Son, initially premiered in Cannes’ main competition, but struggled to garner international recognition.

Although Seraille’s third movie, the partially improvised, on-the-spot character study titled Ari, appears less substantial in comparison to his other works, it nonetheless demonstrates his skill in eliciting powerful performances from both newcomer and seasoned actors. This is evident in the film’s captivating lead performance by Andaric Manet.

In a sense, the narrative of “Ari” mirrors that of “Montparnasse Bienvenüe“, both stories depicting the tumultuous journey of characters struggling in Paris. “Ari” portrays an unsteady protagonist navigating through various hardships, more often than not experiencing downfalls rather than upswings, moving from one apartment to another and engaging in numerous disputes along the way.

27-year-old Ari (Manet), striving to establish himself as a first-grade teacher in the city of Lille, struggles with his emotional instability and inability to effectively perform the job. Throughout the movie, he searches for a place to sleep while attempting to mend his shattered life. Cinematographer Sébastien Buchmann (Being Maria) consistently stays near Ari’s gaunt visage, at times making the handheld camera style seem repetitive. Director Céline Sciamma (Séraille) skillfully portrays Ari’s varying emotions, from joy to despair, from intrigue to rejection, from optimism to crippling anxiety.

Transitioning between the present and past, occasionally slipping from actuality to daydreams, Ari becomes so intimately connected with his main character that we seem to be immersed in his troubled consciousness. At the film’s start, he’s endeavoring to educate a group of six-year-olds about the Surrealist poet Robert Desnos. The camera stays fixed on his face as he casually, and somewhat comically, instructs the class about Desnos’ opium addiction. Midway through his lecture, he appears to experience a panic attack and collapses. Some of the children question, “Is he dead?”

This version maintains the original meaning while using simpler and more conversational language.

Following a brief hospital stay, we tag along with Ari as he lodges with various friends in Lille, presenting a narrative that feels more like a series of adventures than a structured storyline. The majority of individuals he encounters are similar to him in age, yet their lives appear, at first glance, to be more settled. However, Ari has a knack for coaxing out their hidden flaws through probing questions, eventually revealing that they share his own turmoil – most notably in an impactful scene involving a wealthy married friend (Théo Delezenne), who descends into a state of chaos and tears by the story’s end.

As a passionate admirer, I’d describe the film as having a spontaneous vibe, akin to John Cassavetes, though not as improvised as popular belief suggests. Director Séraille masterfully combines veterans like Manet, famously known from the exceptional hip-hop series ‘Reign Supreme’, with young talents nurtured at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Paris. The outcome is a raw, sometimes painfully authentic depiction of navigating your 20s in today’s world, filled with uncertainty about one’s path and the future. Although it doesn’t quite grip us as deeply as previous works by the director, it offers a sincere glimpse into the complexities of modern youth.

The painting presents a predominantly gloomy outlook, as most individuals Ari interacts with appear either unhappy, unfulfilled, or anxious, much like him. However, in the third act of Séraille, there’s a surprising plot twist that seems a bit too dramatic for reality. Despite its questionable authenticity, this ending offers emotional relief to the protagonist, providing a grasp on something meaningful amidst a life otherwise spiraling out of control. This conclusion also sheds light on why Ari values teaching children so much; he perceives them as almost normal compared to others.

If Ari primarily concentrates on what deviates from the norm, or strays quite far from it, his main character yearns for nothing more than to reach some sense of normalcy. To some, this might appear as if he’s giving up or even compromising, but for Ari, living an ordinary life would likely be a significant triumph.

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2025-02-15 18:25