“Just To Be Sure”– Movie Review

On the final day of the French Film Festival, I attended the New York Premiere of the new romantic comedy “Just To Be Sure” at The Film Society Of Lincoln Center.

Synopsis

After a man discovers the identity of his biological father, he sets out to meet him -- but when he learns the woman he’s falling in love could be his sister, what will he do?

Story

Erwan has a dangerous job:  he does professional bomb disposal.  Little does he know, but as a widower in his mid-40’s with a live-at-home adult daughter, his life may soon potentially get significantly more dangerous.  For one thing, his daughter Juliette is months pregnant and has no interest in marrying the father -- or even identifying who he is. There is also the matter of Erwan’s own lineage:  having just been administered a DNA test by his doctor, Erwan is startled to be informed that Bastien, the man who raised him, is not his true biological father. Erwan next sets out to find his biological father. 

Joseph, who doesn’t live too far from Erwan, is the man he is looking for.  Upon confronting him, Joseph -- who is also now a widower -- admits to Erwan that he did in fact know his late mother decades ago and had a brief fling with her.  Yes, it’s entirely likely that he is Erwan’s biological father. But the surprises are far from over; Erwan apparently has a half-sister named Anna -- she is roughly Erwan’s age and her mother was the woman to whom Joseph was married for many years.  Once Joseph introduces Erwan to Anna, he’s in for yet another shock: she turns out to be a woman with whom Erwan had an accidental run-in which he hoped would turn into a romantic opportunity.

Now Erwan has what might be called a problem.  While he’s very attracted to Anna, he feels uncomfortable having a romantic relationship with her since they may be related.  Anna, however, has no such compunction. She is lonely and finds herself similarly attracted to Erwan; while Erwan ostensibly seems perfectly happy with having a platonic sibling-like relationship with Anna, she doesn’t think that minor detail should stop them since it’s quite clear that they both have feelings for each other -- not to mention the fact that neither one of them are getting any younger.  Can Erwan find a way to a romance with Anna or are they destined to forever remain apart?

Review

“Just To Be Sure” is a sheer joy to behold; it is deliciously naughty and romantic in a way only the French can be, given the fact that it toys with the taboo of incest.  But while that may take up most of the story, its thematic subplot also revolves around the nature of parenthood -- or more specifically, parent/offspring relations. What’s curious to see in these characters is that the parents are just as dependent on their children as the adult children are dependent on their parents -- if not for financial support, but at the very least for emotional support.  Where the film is at its most heartwarming is where we see that emotional support is never denied.

Noteworthy about the choice of characters portrayed in this story is that Juliette (the younger daughter) and Anna (the older daughter) are the only two female characters of any significance in this movie.  The wives are absent -- specifically, they are all deceased. Not separated from their spouses, not divorced, but dead; they were all killed off long before this film started. One wonders what went into making this decision.  Was it simply that it would be distracting? Too many characters to follow? Something else? Either way, it definitely would have been a different movie had these characters been present.

That said, the above may be niggling points. It should in no way interfere with the enjoyment of this movie.  It is reassuring to see a film with a well written screenplay, both structurally and the way the characters are drawn so distinctively.  This reminds you that the writing still matters, even if it’s something that’s considered a trifle, like a romantic comedy. If you decide to check out this movie (and you should), be aware that its original French title is “Ôtez-moi d'un doute” (literally translated, “Take away from me a doubt”) so it may be necessary to look for it under either the French or English title.