This is quite possibly the indiest of films. It’s weird and contemplative, meandering and provoking, with some absolutely perplexing cutaways featuring Werner Hertzog. Is it possible to get more indie than this?
A young Michael Jackson impersonator scrounges for work in France. But impersonation isn’t just his profession—it’s his way of life. The shy Michael spends his evenings in his rented room honing his craft, and when he’s off the clock, he’s still Michael just walking through the streets. One day, he happens to meet a Marilyn Monroe, who spins him a wonderful tale about a place just for people like them.
Okay, so the idea of a Charlie Chaplin impersonator and a Marilyn Monroe impersonator 1) getting together, 2) acquiring an old castle, and 3) recruiting folks to join their impersonator commune is simply wild. We’ve got an Abraham Lincoln tending sheep, a Pope saying grace at the dinner table, and the Three Stooges refusing to pull their weight in the household duties. It’s a lot of fun, even as it’s also threaded through with this very lonely sense of melancholy.
I’ve always been interested in people who lead lives very different from my own, especially people who lead lives very different from the rest of society. It’s interesting to take a peek inside this odd little community. The attitude they take towards their impersonations, recognizing what they do but also viewing it as genuinely transformative, a la, “How long have you been Michael?” The cult-like energy permeating through the castle, everyone’s fervor for basking in their adopted identities and the way the Charlie rules over them as a not-like-benevolent leader. The fact that, while Michael Jackson was still alive when this film came out, most of the other impersonators have assumed the role of people who are long dead, many of whom died in tragic circumstances, and what effect that has on the impersonators.
I’m not familiar with too many of the other actors here. Samantha Morton plays the Marilyn and she’s excellent, at the impersonation as well as the character behind it. I also recognize Denis Lavant, who plays the Charlie, from A Very Long Engagement.
Of the Global North movies I’ve seen Diego Luna in, this is the earliest to date in which he had a leading role. He plays the Michael, and as the protagonist, we get a deeper look at him than the impersonation. Certainly, his dancing and thrusting is all very on-point, and he nails the soft-spoken, almost elfin shyness and sense of mystery. He wears a surgical mask out in public, and even occasionally at the castle. He’s rarely not “on.”
And yet, it’s often clearer with him than with other characters that this isn’t really Michael Jackson. Luna’s accent alone is enough to break any illusion when he speaks, which adds a fascinating layer to the character. Despite the Michael’s obvious musical talent, he’s not a natural showman when he doesn’t have lines to mimic. During an early gig at a nursing home, his crowd work is abysmal—what begins with him encouraging the residents that they can choose to feel “young forever” ends with him repeatedly calling out, “Don’t die!” into the microphone, yikes.
Through the Michael, we get some hints as to what might lead a person to a life like this. He has some voiceovers that give voice to his feelings, such as, “It’s time to become who you are not, to change your face and become who you want to be.”
Michael Jackson is a touchy subject, due to the abuse allegations as well as the fact that he was a Black man with vitiligo but often played by non-Black actors (and, to my knowledge, never played by something with vitiligo.) I’m not as bothered by either aspect here, since, again, Diego Luna isn’t playing the real Jackson. Yes, the Michael feels enough admiration/kinship/something toward Jackson to take on his persona, but they’re things that he, the character, is doing problematically. (I have no doubt that a huge number of Michael Jackson impersonators aren’t Black.)
Recommend?
In General – I think I would, if you know what you’re getting into. This film is so weird and really compelling.
Diego Luna – Yes. Luna does a great job with the role, with the impersonation aspects as well as the character ones.
Warnings
Language, sexual references, scenes of violence (including violence against animals,) drinking/smoking, and strong thematic elements (including suicide.)
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