Review of Merci La Vie

I'm surprised that no-one has noticed that this isn't one film but several- several dozen, perhaps- all piled into one another. It;s a whole collection of post-war French films with assorted characters moving through them- a critique and a celebration of cinema and life. There's the road movie, the kooky teenagers film, the moral panic film, the corrupt local politics film, the love affair between a middle-aged man and a young girl film, the resistance film... and no doubt quite a few more. There's also the film about making a film where the makers' private lives reflect what happens on the set, several times over. There's also a lot of looks at reality and fantasy, morality and practicality. Blier may suggest that life is worth being thankful for- at least, Joelle is sad to lose it as she lies dying of AIDS in one version and regrets her ignorance- on the other hand, it ends with a long look at an old man who has soiled himself in a wheelchair by the sea. The old man is played by Jean Carmet though, and we've seen him acting an actor who wants to die on set. So, it's up to us whether life is something we should be grateful for.