Barjo

In 1989, Jérôme Boivin caused a sensation with his first film, Baxter. His first effort showcased the story of a dog who observed the world of human beings and was trying to find his place among them. Given that fantastic isn't the forte of French cinema, this was a definitely honorable success. Three years later, the filmmaker's sophomore effort also introduces an offbeat character who understands the world in his own special way.

Sourced from a semi-autobiographical novel written by Philip K. Dick, this adaptation doesn't belong to the sci-fi genre unlike Blade Runner (1982) by Ridley Scott or Total Recall (1990) by Paul Verhoeven. It has the look of a dramatic comedy with surrealist accents. However, the result is less conclusive than Baxter. Jérôme Boivin said in an interview that he felt more at ease with thorny subjects. But here, the balance between drama and comedy is very precarious. The film scores high when it deals with Hippolyte Girardot's character. The film has its share of meaty moments when "the madcap" elaborates his theories about Charles' family and big issues in the world. The problem is that we're much more interested by him than in the rest of the film when the interest dwindles. In the end, one can see the point in the evolution of the main character but it's not enough to be fully satisfied by the film.

After this film, Jérôme Boivin directed his career towards television where he signed TV movies.