Monsieur Joseph

An absolutely beautiful written and acted film about the destructive power of hidden racism and the inability to see the complexity of relationships outside the stereotypical norm. And because it's Simenon, suspense keeps it moving.

If I have any criticism, it's just that French TV movies, like American ones, have a fairly boring visual style.

(The film is about a middle-aged Algerian bookseller who is completely assimilated into French life and the life of his town. But when he marries a beautiful young girl--who disappears--he's accused of murdering her.)

This is a simple story of a respected specialized bookseller, the Algerian-born Monsieur Joseph, who has worked hard over more than 40 years to integrate well in his community. Nothing demarcates him from his neighbours and other shop owners in the market square until, one day, his much younger wife does not come back from one of her escapades with another man (Monsieur Joseph accepts these).

Suspicion builds up for several days over her fate and all eyes suddenly turn on this man everyone thought they knew. This is the classical story of how, when one's neighbour is found guilty of something horrible, all those around who freely and willingly befriended him, suddenly have stories to tell about how how they "knew" something was wrong. Except here, no one knows but Monsieur Joseph's life is turned upside down when the rumours set in and everybody jumps to conclusions. His entire community turns against him, no longer seeing him as one of them but as an untrustworthy foreigner. He gradually descends into a living hell. It does not end well.

This is an under-stated movie, with few words, sober decor, and fine acting by the only main character, played by Daniel Prévost. He deservedly won some accolades for this role. And the movie is well worth watching, if only because it is a story that's all too familiar.

This is a typical Simenon grey tragedy of humdrum life, pinpointing weaknesses of humanity. Monsieur Joseph is an Algerian who for forty years has been working hard to establish a small specialised bookshop in a small town in northern France, when a young girl who helps him in the shop inspires him with the idea of a marriage, better late than never. He is double her age and does not foresee the dangers of such a marriage, a very young wife of a middle-aged man is wont to look for younger men and to have escapades. When she does he does not mind but is tolerant and keeps his good faith in human nature. That is his mistake. When she disappears without a trace leaving nothing behind and no communication, people around him start to talk, and as there has been a recent unsettled murder case with a drowned young woman in the town canal, he becomes the subject of gossip and prejudiced suspicion, since he is Algerian. And so the merciless tide rolls on.

Daniel Prévost makes an excellent and unforgettable performance as the culprit of nothing, and there is actually no sadness in his role, just a typical Simenonesque casual hopelessness and resignation to the logic consequences of inevitability. At least he finally learns that his wife is still alive and that she only has betrayed him - he should have suspected such a consequence from the character of her family with a brother who is a spoilt outrage. Well, most things are learned too late.

The atmosphere is very much alike to the moods of "The Man who Saw the Trains Pass By" which is a similar story with similar outcome, a bottomless tragedy without sadness but with all the hopelessness naked in its inevitability.