"La Vie Est Belle," life is rosy. Yet here in this film, everything does not seem quite so rosy all the time. I think the phrase that "life is rosy" is, in a way, kind of ironic. Let us look at our characters. We have Kourou who is in love with a woman that he cannot have, Nvouandou and Mamou who do not have a very happy marriage because they have not produced any children, Kabibi who wants to be with Kourou but is now married to Nvouandou and of course, the little person who repeats "la vie est belle" throughout the film. While I do not think that these characters have quite "rosy" lives, coming from an American perspective I think the phrase is played out differently in this film.
The characters in this film make their lives rosy on their own. They might not have everything they want or feel they need, but they do things to make themselves happy. Mamou sets up Kabibi and Kourou (which works for that couple) in the hopes that her husband will send her away and return his affections to her. You can see that she is happy when her plans are working. So even though viewers might not see her life as that great, she feels her life is "rosy" when she gets what she wanted. Likewise with the other characters. The little person, despite that his rent constantly goes up, continues to be happy selling chicken kebabs. He sings constantly that "la vie est belle." And then at the end, after Kourou attempts to kill himself because Kabibi kicks him out after they have an intimate night together, they end up together. We as Americans might not see these characters' lives as rosy and nice, but to them they could have things be a lot worse.
I think the cultural message conveyed in this film that (as the other films in this class have gone to show) Americans are privileged. Not everyone in America has the same privileges of course, but for those of us who do, our lives seem to be pretty rosy in comparison to the lives of other people. The people in this film make their lives "belle," they do not just the things in their life that make for a happy life. Instead they find things that make them happy, no matter how small. To them, these things are not small, they are everything. "La vie est belle" is then not a fixed thing experienced by everyone, but rather a perception that people form for themselves.
Gabby,
ReplyDeleteI love your interpretation, especially these lines: "The characters in this film make their lives rosy on their own. They might not have everything they want or feel they need, but they do things to make themselves happy." It's interesting, isn't it? What side you tend to take, forms one's perspective. I have always doubted that I could "make myself" happy, but perhaps this film would be enough to convince me. Maybe I am happy, and I just have to sing a little. (After the film I was singing in the halls of Main and my colleagues were looking at me funny.)
Spring