‘And this … whose is it?’: All families have a dead person in their closet

Maybe it’s already an overly commented cliché, but French cinema is one of the best exporters of comedy. There are several and of different styles that have managed to cross borders and win over the international audience. A great merit, given that it is a genre prisoner of the codes of each company, but that the French industry has been able to code to have different titles that offer a different moment on the big screen. With a clear touch of well-being, now comes ‘And this … whose is it?’, the second feature film by Emmanuel Poulain-Arnaudwhich brings back the queen of French comedy, Alexandra Lamy.

‘And this … whose is it?’, Whose original title is ‘Le test’ and which in Spain had to use a more creative title to avoid confusion with the parlor comedy ‘El test’ by Dani de la Orden ( premiered a week earlier, curiosities of life); part of a premise typical of the comedy of plots. The matriarch of a seemingly perfect family sees her world fall apart when she finds a positive pregnancy test. in the bathroom of the house and has to find out who the test belongs to, which will not be easy at all, with his two older children with a permanent girlfriend, a teenage daughter and a much less faithful husband than you think.

Written by Poulain-Arnaud himself together with Noé Debré, the film uses the clichés of the genre to portray the plight of a middle-aged woman who has spent too much time in her role as a mother. An overly aware woman of her own offspring, the film shows the opposite effect of what she seeks with that excessive attention, as none of her children are able to entrust her with anything, as she is very attentive to her every move. The discovery of the proof gives the protagonist a slap in the face to the reality that the feature film manages to bring to fruitionfor, in this way, he begins a process in which he learns to let go.

A much deeper comedy than it seems

Alexandra Lamy’s savoir-faire can be seen here. Together with Florence Foresti, she is one of the most praised female faces of French commercial comedy, given her versatility with the genre, managing to lead productions designed to fully conquer the general public (see the saga ‘My mother’s homecoming’) ; as well as projects closer to wellness cinema, such as “You need your vote”; classic romantic comedies, such as ‘Stories of an undecided woman’ or ‘On Wheels’; to more acidic productions like “Who’s Who?”

In a way, ‘And this … whose is it?’ follows in the footsteps of the satirical work of Jean-Patrick Benes, in which Lamy lives every day in the body of each of his family members; from it has an unexpected dramatic depth in which it is shown how, in reality, one can never know a person completely and how even an apparently normal middle-class family has its dead hidden in the closet. In the case of the film, it serves to tell how its protagonist detaches himself from the role that has been imposed on him, also allowing us to see the importance of family communication, even if it leaves unpleasant situations.

With that message, ‘And this … whose is it?’ shines thanks to the rest of the cast, Philippe Katerine also stands out, who leaves his usual irreverent roles to show his rogue side. Added to this is that gags and humorous situations work in a comedy that manages to find the balance between well-being, the dramatic and the cartoon. Poulain-Arnaudwho has already explored how a couple must deal with the loss of passion in ‘Les cobayes’, once again demonstrates his ability to family relationships with a wonderful proposal which, in its apparent lightness, will pleasantly surprise the public.

Note: 8

The best: The depth that hides under its apparent lightness.

Worse: You can’t avoid falling into various arguments.