Make Other Plans

As a teenager I saw my first porno film. In those days, you couldn't just cruise the Internet or even slap a DVD into a player. A trip to a local, seedy cinema was needed. When I finally took my seat next to my two buddies, the first thing I saw on the screen was a scene of sailboats moored in Newport, Rhode Island. The narrator said something like, "Ah, the idle rich, but what goes on behind their closed doors?" You can figure out what happened next.

In Christophe Honoré's "Making Plans for Lena", the situation is a tad different. First of all, there is no graphic sex. Secondly, there is no lavish wealth on display, although it is clear that everyone is quite comfortable. But what was similar is that no one ever goes to work to earn money for the semi-lush surroundings. As a result, I found myself wondering where this magic place existed and how I could gain entrance into this make-believe world.

At the outset, our central character, Lena (Chiara Mastroianni), is in a railway station with her young daughter, Augustine, in tow, but her young son, Anton, is missing. Every parent's nightmare is underway but Anton is quickly located. This concludes the tension part of the show. Then it's off on holiday to Brittany, with her doting but practical parents and her somewhat snarky sister (Marina Fois). Lena has recently walked out on her husband, Nigel, and she is in licking-her-wounds mode. She feels oh so sorry for herself. Her parents, unbeknownst to her, have invited Nigel to drop by, which she is not very pleased about.

Everyone, in their own way, has their problems. This makes them normal. They all seem blissfully unaware of what troubles other people, though. This also makes them normal. But there is a bit too much self-pitying going on here for my taste, with very little being done to improve anything. Therefore, I didn't care what happened to them, except for Grandpa and Grandma. They weren't particularly loveable but at least they had been granted some sense of what matters, by virtue of their age.

By the end, I confess to having been somewhat taken in by it all, but only to an extent. In that way, it is very much like an unevenly done soap opera. You know you shouldn't be liking it at all but yet it holds your attention. That's about the highest praise I can deliver to you. If you have other plans, you can pass on this.