Welcome back to another installment of Mubi Monday! This week we have the feature debut from director, writer, and animator Céline Devaux…Everybody Loves Jeanne (2022).
Title: Everybody Loves Jeanne (Tout Le Monde Aime Jeanne)
Director: Céline Devaux
Released: May 21, 2022 (Cannes Film Festival)
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
Available to stream on: Exclusively on Mubi. Don’t have Mubi? Well, you do now, here’s a month on me!
Jeanne (Blanche Gardin) is going through a bit of a rough patch. She was head of a promising research project designed to clean plastics from the ocean. Unfortunately, the launch was an absolute disaster. The icing on the cake being the viral clip of Jeanne hopelessly diving into the ocean trying to save the project.
As she’s walking through the streets, we see an animated form of the inner monologue that Jeanne hears throughout the day. The monologue is comically cynical and seems to be an inner demon that Jeanne always has to contend with.
Because the research project was a flop, Jeanne now finds herself teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Her lawyer advises her to liquidate as many assets as possible to avoid financial ruin. Simon (Maxence Tual), Jeanne’s brother, is with her at the lawyer’s office and they both remember that they inherited their mother’s apartment in Lisbon. While neither of them has been back to Lisbon since their mother’s death, they agree that it’s time they clean it out and find a buyer. Just what Jeanne needed, she’s now forced to process and deal with her mother’s passing in order to avoid bankruptcy.
While in the airport, Jean (Laurent Lafitte) takes it upon himself to introduce himself to Jeanne. Not only does he know her by name, but he also claims to have gone to school with Jeanne. Having absolutely no recollection of Jean, Jeanne politely informs him that she doesn’t remember him. As they board their flight to Lisbon, Jean shouts to Jeanne from several rows back, wishing her a good flight. This, after walking to her row and loudly proclaiming how glad he is that Jeanne didn’t die young.
Unsure of whether she should be embarrassed or charmed by Jean, Jeanne now turns her attention to her mother’s apartment. In addition to trying to clean out the apartment and find a buyer, Jeanne also finds herself having to deal with her own past in Lisbon. From old memories in the apartment to ex-lovers in Lisbon, Jeanne now has a full plate. Luckily for her though, Jean keeps showing up and they begin spending more time together. For whatever it’s worth, there seems to be an overall sense of calm when Jean is around.
Will their friendship hinder her ability to focus on why she’s back in Lisbon?
Can Jeanne find a buyer for the apartment and salvage her own finances?
Usually, when you hear “romantic comedy”, you know in your head exactly how a story will play out. While I am a sucker for a good romantic comedy, it’s true that most times they can be almost like a paint-by-numbers scenario.
Well, Céline Devaux, in her feature debut, decided to turn the genre on its head and give us a fresh take on a romantic comedy. Yes, there are romantic elements, and they are executed quite well. However, it is the comedy that takes center stage. And no, it isn’t the sappy comedy you usually find in romantic comedies. Devaux delivers dark, dry, and cynical comedy in a way that feels natural to the character of Jeanne. Her inner monologue mentally beating her up over the course of the day helps us to better understand why Jeanne is the way she is.
Although, what’s a romantic comedy without a ying and yang? While Jeanne is the cynical one, we have Jean who is almost offensively optimistic, and the two play off of each other wonderfully. Although, despite the presence of a former lover, a current flame, and her brother, neither of them ever feels central to the story. Jeanne’s inner monologue makes sure that Jeanne stays focused on herself and why she’s there.
Everybody Loves Jeanne (2022) is funny, quirky in its own charming way, and a welcomed change of pace to your typical romantic comedy. I, for one, will be looking forward to what Céline Devaux does next.
If you’ve seen Everybody Loves Jeanne (2022), I want to hear what you thought.
Tell me all about it in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!
Conversely, if you’ve yet to see it, come back after you have and tell me what you thought of it!
As always, you can follow me over on Letterboxd to see my thoughts on everything else I’ve been watching.