La guerre est déclarée (2011)

Directed by: Valerie Donzelli | 100 minutes | drama | Actors: Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm, César Desseix, Gabriel Elkaïm, Brigitte Sy, Elina Löwensohn, Michèle Moretti, Philippe Laudenbach, Baptiste Bouillon, Bastien Bouillon, Béatrice De Staël, Anne Le Ny, Frédéric Pierrot, Elisabeth Dion

Two words that you never, ever want to see in the same sentence are ‘child’ and ‘cancer’. To be replaced by any life-threatening illness. Yet in the Netherlands it happens every year to about 400 children under the age of 16: they get cancer. 70% of patients recover happily. But whatever the outcome of all the tests and treatments, as parents you go through absolute hell. The French filmmaker/actress Valérie Donzelli and her partner Jérémie Elkaïm experienced it up close. Although ‘La guerre est déclarée’ is not directly their story, with the love story of Roméo and Juliette they tell a story that is very close to the facts.

Roméo (Jérémie Elkaïm) and Juliette (Valérie Donzelli) meet at a party, joke about the inevitable doom of their relationship. They are in love, enjoy life and each other and don’t have to worry about anything. The arrival of their son Adam turns their existence upside down. Adam cries a lot and can hardly keep his food down. The couple continues. When Adam is eighteen months old, still not walking and continues to vomit abnormally, the two ring the bell with their pediatrician. He sees that Adam seems to have a somewhat asymmetrical head and that is the starting point of the medical mill in which the family and actually the entire family ends up.

‘La guerre est déclarée’ is not a heavy, sad film, rather sparkling and energetic. Although the fate of poor sick Adam is close to your heart, and it is easy to imagine the feelings of powerlessness that both parents have, Donzelli manages to dose the drama well. She interweaves the intense sadness with lighter moments. She also often shifts the focus to the relationship between the two young parents, who don’t really know how to behave in this situation. It’s not just their child’s illness that binds them. But can their relationship withstand this almost inhumane pressure? For a moment it is exciting whether the ending of the film is so happy, but magical moments during the holidays, a fat nod from the director at an awkward moment or exaggerating what would be the worst thing that would happen to Adam bring relief and certainty. that it will go away. The love song that Roméo and Juliette sing together but separately from each other also fits wonderfully into the whole. The two protagonists are perfect in their portrayal of the two lovers, who have to grow up in one fell swoop. The supporting roles are also played skillfully. The choice for three different voice-overs is striking, but correct.

“Why is this happening to us?” asks Romeo. “Because we are strong enough to carry it,” Juliette replies. The fact that the film-maker couple themselves were strong enough to translate their story to the silver screen in this lively, hopeful and funny way is a pleasant consequence of what must have been a dark period for them no doubt. Tribute!