A woman races against time to find her long-lost child with the aid of two unlikely individuals, in Albert Dupontel’s French box office hit.
Winner of seven Césars (French Oscars), including Best Film and Director, Dupontel’s comedy-drama stars Virginie Efira as Suze Trappet, a woman diagnosed with a terminal illness who decides to find the daughter she gave up when she was young before she dies. Clueless as to how she will do this, she enlists the help of Jean-Baptiste, a computer analyst who works for internal affairs in the police and is on the precipice of a breakdown, and archivist Mr. Blin (Nicolas Marié), who was blinded as the result of a police action.
Dupontel plays fast and loose with the action – along with the narrative, in speeding us towards the trio’s encounter and their embarking on the unusual quest. There are excellent cameos by Jackie Berroyer and Catherine Davenier as a couple who can help but are also dealing with the challenges caused by dementia. But the film’s comedy mostly derives from the interaction between Efira’s frantic mother and Dupontel’s burnout. It’s that combination, expertly paced through Dupontel’s script and direction that makes Bye Bye Morons the crowd pleaser it has become.
