MA VIE EN ROSE

SYNOPSIS:
For Ludovic (Georges Du Fresne), a little girl born into a little boy’s body, nothing is more natural than to change his gender. As a hopeful and sensitive child, he truly believes that a miracle will happen. No doubt about it, he will become a girl, and he’s in love with Jerome (Julien Riviere), his school mate, and son of his father’s colleague. Initially a source of amusement, an outrage begins in their suburb when the two boys are discovered pretending to get married. The family begins to realise with horror that his desire to be a girl isn’t just a little boy’s fantasy. They try to make him change his mind, but to no avail. The situation turns into a real-life drama as intense reactions of neighbours, friends, and teachers, create an atmosphere of bigotry, but Ludovic’s optimism remains firm.

"Alain Berliner’s first feature, Ma Vie En Rose, is a poignant and original exploration of the mental anguish and confusion of a young boy and his sexuality. Berliner looks skilfully at human nature, prejudices, conflicts and discriminations, and how they affect the family unit. Told from the child’s simplistic point of view, the film effectively uses bright colours to reflect fantasy, while reality is mirrored by subtler shades. The complexities of how parents feel about their children is effectively revealed, shooting straight to the core of relationships and emotions. This contrasts the sheer simplicity with which a child looks at things: Ludovic has a practical scientific explanation as to why he believes he’s a ‘girlboy’. (Dressing like a girl is worse than ‘putting the cat in the dishwasher’ we are told.) With an emotive music score, Berliner merges the lines between reality and fantasy, aches with a mother’s pain, and reels under the discrimination of the entire neighbourhood. Revealing and heart-felt, the film ultimately carries the message to accept each other for who we are, and that - from any age - we are all different. The performances are very real; Georges Du Fresne, in a remarkable film debut, will break your heart with his vulnerability and innocence; Michèle Laroque is wonderful as his mother, Hanna; Hélène Vincent moving as Elisabeth. Blending a comic with a dramatic approach to this touching subject, Ma Vie En Rose is a wonderful film - you may squirm in your seat a little and your heartstrings may be yanked, but essentially it is as revealing as you will let it be, capturing another aspect of the human condition."
Louise Keller