Garçon Stupide Review
By Don Willmott
Or maybe some French fries. At one point, he's chatting with a trick called Lionel (director Lionel Baier, a voice without a face) in Lionel's car while eagerly scarfing down a lapful of McDonald's treats. While Lionel is fascinated by Loïc's careless life and asks him all sorts of philosophical questions about love and long-term relationships, Loïc's whole attitude is "Are we gonna do this or what?" He is a mysterious boy. He seems to have come from nowhere and is going nowhere, a figure of sensation but little else.
Lionel's prodding, along with the successful example his best friend Marie (Natacha Koutchoumov) sets with his boyfriend, seems to unglue Loïc. All of a sudden he no longer wants to be gay even as he seems to fall in love with (and begins to stalk) a local soccer star (Rui Pedro Alves). Switzerland starts to feel like a dangerous place as Loïc roams the streets with a newly acquired camera, hoping to become a photographer but really going nowhere but around in circles, vowing to improve himself ("I am not a stupid boy," he proclaims, hence the title) even as both he and we seem to know that in fact he has nothing going for him at all. This probably won't end well.
The success of the film is totally dependent on Catagny, who appears in almost every scene and has to make most of his important points through his actions (including his graphic sexual actions) as opposed to words. He's outstanding, a slithering and dangerous presence you can't stop watching, even when he's operating the chocolate machine. Garçon Stupide forces you to look at your own life and your own motivations. What do you want? How instantly do you demand your gratification? Are you getting anywhere? And finally, are you stupid? Loïc will look you in the eye, and you'll have to face these questions.
Well let's start with the hoodie.
Facts and Figures
Year: 2004
Run time: 94 mins
In Theaters: Tuesday 13th September 2005
Distributed by: Picture This! Entertainment
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 4 / 5
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
Fresh: 17 Rotten: 16
IMDB: 6.4 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Lionel Baier
Producer: Robert Boner
Screenwriter: Lionel Baier, Laurent Guido
Starring: Pierre Chatagny as Loïc, Rui Pedro Alves as Rui, Natacha Koutchoumov as Marie, Laurent Guido as Guy in the Museum, Jean-Stéphane Bron as Videostore traeder, Lionel Baier as Lionel