CEST PAS MOI, JE LE JURE!
/
2008
DIRECTOR: PHILIPPE FALARDEAU
CINEMATOGRAPHER: ANDRE TURPIN
WRITER: PHILIPPE FALARDEAU(dialogue/screenplay)/BRUNO HEBERT (book)
BUDGET: ?
GROSS: $14,345 (worldwide)
Ces’t Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! translates to It’s Not Me, I Swear! The French-Canadian film takes place in 1968. Leon is a 10-year-old boy with some issues. He’s like Dennis the Menace times 100. Not only does he have a fertile imagination and is kinda suicidal. He seems to have no moral compass when it comes to his actions. Especially when his unhappy mother decides to move to Greece - causing him to act out even more.
While it isn't a laugh out loud family comedy, the film does have a dark sense of humor that permeates it - as does a real deep and poignant sense of drama. The two are melded together beautifully into a film that, along with the music and the cinematography, creates a real mood and engagement in the characters and the story.
The film has many of the markers that one might expect: the rebellious kid, the fighting/unhappy parents, the girl next door, etc... but they in no way make the film predictable. Leon's character goes farther than it is sometimes comfortable for the audience to go, thus keeping us "on our toes" and creating something familiar and original all in the same wonderful film.
French Canada has a strong film culture/industry and is well supported by its people. However, many of the films - with some exceptions of course - don't get past the border to reach a wider audience (even within the rest of the country). C'est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! made quite a big splash at the Toronto Film Festival and even picked up an award at the Berlin Film Festival back over a decade ago. And it’s a film well deserving of said recognition outside of Quebec.