The authentic and raw French drama Suzanne starts as a family story about a single dad working as a long haul trucker and his two daughters, Maria and Suzanne. The younger daughter Suzanne makes some bad choices that impact the rest of her family. The film is not just about the title character, but about each family member and the consequences each must bear.
Francois Damiens is especially good as the dad, a guy who has sacrificed so much for his daughters, and just can’t bear anymore drama. Adele Haenel is excellent as the exuberant and responsible older sister Maria. As Suzanne, Sara Forestier manages to portray someone who is not a bit not superficial or not serious, but who is fatally impulsive. In the fluffy The Names of Love, Forestier was actually convincing as a woman so distractable that she doesn’t notice that she has left her flat and boarded the Paris Metro without wearing any clothes. It’s impressive to see the range she demonstrates playing the train-wreck of a protagonist in Suzanne.
I saw Suzanne at the San Francisco Film Society’s French Cinema Now series. I’ve read that Suzanne may get a US theatrical release starting December 13. I hope so – it’s a fine film.