«The »big bath" of beautiful wounds

Cinema Wednesdays - Alexandre Wälti

Seven clueless guys and a broken woman rebuild their lives with the shared dream of competing in the World Synchronized Swimming Championships. Will they make it, despite their mal de vivre? This condensed version of synopsis announces the originality of Gilles Lellouche's film. Le Grand Bain is a comedy in which the relationship with the body plays an important role, as do psychological wounds. They add strength to the humor. We'd like to call it an ode to physical deformity, an eulogy of difference, an apology for the singular. We're not afraid of these big words, since they underline precisely what makes this film so special.

The body in all its splendor! This phrase no doubt conjures up in your mind an image of feminine or masculine musculature that has been perfectly forged through physical effort. If, on top of that, we're talking about synchronized swimming, then pectorals and visible abs are probably a given. Why is this? Because the image of this ideal is not new. The Greeks built it, and advertising still reinforces the idea of a perfect body and a fighting spirit.

Except that Bertrand (Mathieu Amalric, dazzling as usual), Laurent (Guillaume Canet), Marcus (Benoît Poelvoorde), Thierry (Phillipe Katerine), Delphine (Virginie Efira) and the others are all as «unsuccessful» as they are touching. Without really knowing why, this band of losers find themselves part of France's first all-male synchronized swimming team. That's the strength of Lellouche's comedy! Take the least sexy to make it extremely beautiful and even very funny. Putting a group of men in an environment a priori feminine.

The body is plural

The hair and paunch are brought to the fore rather than hidden behind the magic of cinema and the perfection that the seventh art often conveys. The director's intention is simply to show what the film's rather impressive cast of actors are like physically. This aesthetic choice underlines an essential question: how important is the body in a shared adventure that ultimately lifts us all up?

Identification with the characters is simplified to the extent that they reflect reality more honestly. The bodies are not all perfect and the spirits have sometimes suffered a great deal. We've all been hurt, to varying degrees. And that's precisely what makes us so beautiful. Like Thierry, we all sometimes have the impression of not being listened to. Some, like Bertrand, may be suffering from depression. Others, like Marcus, have repeatedly failed to build a business and are up to their necks in debt. Others, like Delphine, have become alcoholics without realizing it. We all have our flaws. Why not turn them into our greatest strengths?

A disturbing comedy

All of Lellouche's characters are ideal raw material for comedy. They allow the French director to laugh at deformities without forgetting the wounds they may conceal. He also films the locker room confessions with genuine benevolence and modesty. Ultimately, he invites us all to take on more of who we are, by sharing our wounds and showing them without embarrassment.

One scene sums up this general impression: Laurent pushes his son's wheelchair into the pool. coach Amanda (Leïla Bekhti), authoritarian and violent - the exact opposite of Delphine - forgets she can't swim. The whole team rushes to her rescue. It's sad, beautiful, funny and touching. It's a bit like the last words of Mal de vivre by Barbara:

And without warning, it happens
It's come a long way
It went from bank to bank
The laughter in the corner
And then one morning, when I woke up
Almost nothing
But it's there, it fills you with wonder
In the hollow of the loins

Write to the author: alexandre.waelti@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Frenetic Films