Beau Pere

Rémi, who plays piano in bars, loses his wife in an accident and is left with Marion, his fourteen-year-old stepdaughter. Her real father wants her, she does not want to go, and a life for two takes shape that way. Then Marion tells her stepfather she is in love with him, and the man can neither refuse the situation nor manage it. Bertrand Blier produces the discomfort entirely on purpose, neither sanctifying the girl's desire nor clearing the man, and without softening his gaze either. Patrick Dewaere plays the part without mounting any defence, and that is the film's strongest quality. The subject was contentious on release and stands harder now. Who it is for: viewers curious about eighties French cinema and stories built on taboo. Who it is not for: anyone who will not accept the treatment of a relationship with a minor.