A “political whore” with a noble cause and a shy Jewish scientist who worries too much about the avian flu meet, and last, in the French comedy The Names of Love (Le Nom des Gens), which is playing through Thursday at the Lake Worth Playhouse, Mos’Art Theatre and other area art houses.
The buzz about these two eccentric characters, Baya Benmahmoud and Arthur Martin (played by Sara Forestier, 24, and Jacques Gamblin, 53), had been such I went to catch their story at a cinema in Coral Gables (never mind that it was a weeknight).
The film, winner of César Awards for Best Actress and Best Screenplay, was very refreshing and did not disappoint. It contained plenty of funny and shocking scenes that brought down the house as well as serious, touching moments. (A note: the subtitles here come in white bold letters, so there’s no stress.)
Forestier’s Baya is curvy and revealing, jumpy and incapable of multitasking. Gamblin’s Arthur is lean and tall, studied and guarded. The lovely pair carries a convincing chemistry and the camera does a great job emphasizing it (watch for the warm, tinted scenes).
I do not remember who said “the ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but to hold hands” (nor am I going to Google it now) but I wanted to see if and how Baya and Arthur would pass that test. Their names, families and personalities could not be more different. They also do not do small talk.
Instead they get into racism, Arabs, Jews, blacks, sex and other heavy topics in the very first conversations. They free crabs from the eternal fire and make love before falling in love with each other. But these two have more than one thing in common, including regrets.
Arthur is son to a fragile Jewish mother, who was deeply damaged by the deportation of her parents during the Holocaust, and a nuclear scientist. Baya is the daughter of a French rich girl who turned hippie and rebellious and married an Algerian refugee. His parents are quiet and love technology. Her mother is terribly outspoken and her father has always liked painting.
While Arthur lacks a sense of identity and chooses to do nothing about it (not even ask questions), Baya chooses to confront the issues, even if they are painful ones. She forces her father to pursue his passion – painting — while Arthur protects his mother from further suffering and pressure.
They are both rescuers: she saves right-wing “fascists” through what we can only presume to be magnificent sex and transforms them into left-wing heroes (some even go on to raise sheep). Arthur rescues dead birds –a goose, a swan, a duck. You can never be too careful with the flu. It is better to be “always vigilant.”
For Baya, it is never too late or impossible to convert the “fascists,” as she can do “great things with her ass.” Being too late is a constant threat for Arthur, as the bird-flu virus does not live long once the animal is dead. He wished he had a less common name and more experience with girls. She wished her piano teacher had given her piano lessons.
By the end of the film, Arthur abandons his philosophy of precaution and Baya cuts back on the sexual experiences with all but one man. You get the feeling this is not a pair that will be claiming irreconcilable differences anytime in the future.
I trust they will be just fine, as long as they do not pronounce the word “nuclear” in front of her mother or the word “camp” in front of his.
LES NOMS DE GENS (The Names of Love). Starring: Sara Forestier, Jacques Gamblin. Directed by Michel Leclerc. Rated: R. In French with English subtitles. Now playing at: Lake Worth Playhouse, Mos’Art Theatre, FAU Living Room Theaters, Movies of Delray, PGA Gardens Cinemax and Cobb Jupiter 18 in Palm Beach County.