Rare are the original French Netflix films and yet, they do not demerit. In any case, I am not an easy man , although recently arrived, is a sensation both on the cinematographic aspect and on the moral aspect. Modern and committed, this film is part of the era of time and questions the flaws of our societies.
A captivating synergy
The strength of this film lies not in an element but in the harmony of all its cinematographic components. The script, the cast and the entire crew of the film form cogs that fit together perfectly to give a pleasant feature film.
If this dynamic works so well, it is because we find many members of the team of the short film Oppressed Majority, also written and directed by Éléonore Pourriat in 2010. This 10-minute short film played on role reversal to denounce the oppression suffered by women in society. A delayed success, it was in 2014 that Oppressed Majority saw its visibility increase tenfold with nearly 9 million views in one month thanks to social networks.
In this film, the quality of interpretation of all the actors is quite bluffing sincerity: the frills has no place, the natural is in its raw state. And we love that. We know cinema as a means of escape, of free rein to the imagination, but we like to discover it as a mirror of a reality… Not so far away.
The realism of the film lies in the accuracy of the sets, costumes and filmic processes. Everything coincides perfectly and the management of details weighs in the balance: the inversion is total, from the road sign to the card game. Hats off to you for thinking of everything, because the winks are numerous. Sometimes without even paying attention. Our societies are gender-weighted on a daily basis. The team has put its finger on this point and plays with us, sometimes troubling us.
The embodiment of modern feminism
Éléonore Pourriat does not hide it, she seeks to mark the spirits. Committed to the feminist struggle, the director plays on the reversal of roles to strike with a velvet glove. The subtlety of art as the best weapon in the face of a society that is still unequal despite the evolution of mentalities. But in this film, she wants above all to make people laugh. As we can see, she takes up the inversion of genres of her short film to push it to its climax and does not hesitate to flirt with the grotesque, probably to denounce with irony the unfounded of certain behaviors. She is the first to affirm it: by putting women in a position of strength, she does not propose a utopian world but a dystopia. She demands gender equality and rejects any accusation of racism or sexism: her work is fiction, period.
We find a Vincent Elbaz more chacheur than ever, disarmed in this parallel world in which his female alter ego is his own executioner. Embodied by Marie-Sophie Ferdane who plays her role to perfection, the relationship between the two lovers will evolve at the same time as the state of mind of Dom Juan, until he provides him with answers on the relationship between man and woman in his reality. A hymn to "masculist" feminism, but also to the beauty of women.
A few false notes here and there
It is clear that despite the seductive accuracy of the film, there are some less neat elements. We think of the trigger of the film, which will tip the character of Damien in this parallel world. The spectator expects a credible element and although the staging gives a smile, the weakness of the shock is disappointing. There are also some inconsistencies here and there, funny elements but not relevant enough to have their place. A dressing room full of dresses out of nowhere while men do not wear dresses in this world, to illustrate without spoiler. Details of the reversal, which, although very well done, contains some flaws.
And to nitpick, we can also defend the male community: in the film, all women are put in the same lot and therefore all men if we follow the gender reversal. To sum up: all men are machos. And that, whether you are a feminist or not, you cannot validate. But hey, we do not forget that this is not a fiction as the director said, so let's stop quibbling.
If we allowed ourselves to put you the weak points at the end, it is obviously because they are much less numerous and important than the strengths of this film. We have told you and we will tell you again, I am not an easy man is fresh and modern and we willingly let ourselves be embarked in this feminist world both impactful and disturbing.
