La famille Bélier is a coming-of-age story
of a village girl – the teenaged Paula Bélier – who has the opportunity to
audition as a singer for Radio France, while studying and living in Paris. What
conflict may that cause, you may ask. The only problem is that her family is
deaf, and cannot comprehend the allure of a song.
So beyond their paradigm is a song, that the idea that their daughter should abandon them for something so unreal is unbearable for Mrs. Bélier. Overwhelmed by the idea, she beaks down, telling Paula how dismayed she was to discover that Paula could hear.
So beyond their paradigm is a song, that the idea that their daughter should abandon them for something so unreal is unbearable for Mrs. Bélier. Overwhelmed by the idea, she beaks down, telling Paula how dismayed she was to discover that Paula could hear.
The movie is a simple story of how Paula
conveys her love for her parents to them without giving up on herself. My
description may make the story seem hackneyed, but the film’s retelling of the
story of intergenerational conflict is wonderful. How often do we feel that our
parents (or children for those who have them) cannot hear us? The fact that Mr.
and Mrs. Bélier are deaf makes it easier to empathise with parents in general,
for many are deafened by the lives
that they vicariously wish to live through their children, or perhaps by
wishing their best for their children.
Should a person who knows no more than a
few words in French, and no sign language watch this film? I watched La famille Bélier in rapt attention, and
it was not difficult to love it.
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