"I am a no man's land", by Thierry Jousse, is a singular film, difficult to categorize, quite in the image of its main actor (also singer and songwriter) Philippe Katerine, who can be alternately tender and romantic or offbeat and eccentric (sometimes even a mix of the two) while remaining himself.
But, even though the scenario is partly inspired by Philippe Katerine's life, this is definitely not a biopic, at least a traditional one. In fact yes, the film does tell about Philippe, but not in a chronological, orderly or realistic way. If this is a biopic, then it is one of his unconscious, from the time he was a child to his teen age to the age of maturity, a maturity that might remain inaccessible to him due to a severe psychological block. To put it another way, I would call this weird work a "mental biopic" (somewhat in the line of "Being John Malkovich "), in which the "facts" concerning the hero are doled out in a dreamlike, disorderly, psychoanalytical manner, where the times and places keep being confused and confusing. During most of the running time indeed, Philippe is seen struggling and turning in circles in the no man's land of his psyche. The only sure thing about him is that he is a neurotic adulescent.
But don't worry too much, this is no depressing Bergman psychodrama: the overall tone is basically that of a comedy, complete with the traditional happy ending; in the last part of the film, Philippe will indeed have managed to unlock his blocks and escape from his mental prison.
Naturally, when it comes to summarizing the inner misadventures of this nowhere man, things get a bit tricky. Let me try anyway.
Following a night performance, Philippe, a singer on tour, agrees to follow to her home a female admirer. The trouble is that the creature proves a regular tigress (a variant of "Misery", only sexier and a little less violent). A sex beast, she not only wishes to make her idol her lover but also wants him the captive of her will (by way of example she has had installed a studio where Philippe can create and record - under her sole supervision !). In these circumstances, our man, of the reserved and shy kind, has no other choice but to run away. Completely lost, he wanders endlessly... in a forest and in the middle of the night! At a time, he comes across Sylvie, a charming young woman who does not seem surprised at all by the encounter. She happens to be an ornithologist on a night mission. Later, against all logic, Philippe lands in... his native house. Although surprised by his impromptu visit, his parents, whom he has been neglecting for too long, gladly take him in. After a so-so stay, Philippe decides to go away but, oddly enough, finds it impossible to leave his childhood village - whether on foot, by motorcycle or by car -, he is prevented from achieving his aim by an invisible entity. However hard he tries, it keeps bringing him back to his starting point. How he will manage to get out of that imbroglio is the question.
As can be seen, the strange film is to be read not on a realistic but on a psychoanalytical level. What appears from Philippe's fantasies is in fact nothing but the actualisation of his neurosis. Outside of the stage where he is at ease, the poor guy is timid, unable to impose himself, and, most of all, afraid of women (which is symbolized by his misadventure with the erotomaniac) - he just runs away from them. What we discover in the course of the action is that, at odds with his father, he has never dared to confront him. All this, without his necessarily being aware of it, handicaps him in his daily life.
Not a very appealing no man's land maybe but Thierry Jousse proves his ability there to give it a shape, a kind of spider's web in which the gnat-hero gets stuck. Hence a film akin to "8 1/2" or "Juliette of the Spirits" with the reservation that Jousse is not Fellini, that his direction lacks the evocative power of the maestro. Although intriguing and quirky, "I Am a No Man's Land" definitely lacks a power of fascination. The madness, the onirism, the irrationality are there, but everything remains a little too much "under control". We should be fascinated, haunted, shaken, and we tend to remain outside. Nevertheless, the film keeps being intriguing, in any case unpredictable, from the beginning to the end. Even better, the sequences where Philippe discovers who his parents really are and what love binds them indissolubly are quite touching. Jousse's look at a couple having passed their maturity is full of delicacy, a quality enhanced by the artistry of Jackie Berroyer and Aurore Clément, who give them all the depth necessary. Judith Chemla (with her wild eroticism) and Julie Depardieu (with her fresh and sparkling charm) are also very good.
To my liking, this is a semi-successful film only, mainly because its baroque universe is not baroque enough. It's up to you to decide whether you want to watch it or not, whether you like it or not.
