Cinema Wednesdays - Special edition: Leonardo DiCaprio - Alissa Musumeci
Who, as a child, hasn't dreamed of becoming an airplane pilot, then a doctor and finally a lawyer, all in one lifetime? Well, young Frank Abagnale did, but in less than two years. Following the announcement of his parents' divorce, the young man decided to run away from home. The sixteen-year-old soon discovers that it's much more fun to make money by swindling the U.S. government than it is to work honestly. FBI agent Carl Hanratty is tasked with catching this usurper. Surprisingly, this case will forge a special bond between the two. Despite the handcuffs, and despite everything else.
Steven Spielberg based his biopic on the life of Frank Abagnale Junior, a former American forger. This biopic, released in 2002, is a blend of real-life storytelling and totally fictional elements. A blend that lends an almost fantastic, which makes the film even richer and more appealing. Of course, the unadorned truthfulness of the film makes it an authentic escapade. The screenplay was inspired by the book Catch Me If You Can, Abagnale's autobiography.
To make the spectacular life of the real Abagnale just as spectacular on screen, Spielberg chose two great film icons: the charming Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale, and Hollywood star Tom Hanks as Agent Hanratty. Both director and screenwriter were keen to give a brief appearance in the film to the real Frank Abagnale, who plays a French police officer.
In this feature film, the message plays a key role. Of course, Frank's fraudulent actions are in no way acceptable or forgivable, and this is made abundantly clear by the fact that he must pay the consequences in prison. But it's important to realize that Frank is going through an enormous heartbreak: the divorce of his parents, who have continually guided him in all the choices he has made in his life. At sixteen, he has to face up to a broken family and a world full of riches to be discovered and savored, whatever the price to be paid, whatever the con to be worked out.
A teenager is more naive than a man, lazier than a little man: getting rich by doing nothing very concrete is exactly the perfect plan when you're sixteen, have no money and don't know how to get by on your own. This story, with its comic bent, actually hides a dramatic passage in the life of a boy drowning in a void of meaning. A void of identity and existence. Unable to find his place, he seeks it in statuses and professions worthy of a kid's dreams. Because he's still just a kid. Endearing, painful, funny and charming. Just like the film.
Write to the author: alissa.musumeci@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © Dream Works SKG
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