Enzo was due to be directed by Palme d'or winner Laurent Cantet who sadly passed out during production, only for Robin Campillo (120 BPM) to step in and take over directing duties. The film opens with an impressive scene that lays the cards narratively and thematically right from the start. We meet the titular character on a building site, visibly out of his depth, fumbling through manual tasks as an apprentice until his exasperated boss cuts his day short and drives him home despite the young man's reluctance. But his family home turns out to be a striking modern villa high in the hills of Marseille overlooking the sea. It is a smart reveal, establishing both Enzo’s discomfort in his new environment as well as his unease with his own social standing.
On paper, the narrative beats might sound familiar: a teenager, restless in the heat of summer, caught between class expectations and the stirrings of desire and yearning for a different life. And in lesser hands, Enzo could have followed the well worn paths of many similar films. Worse, since the object of Enzo’s growing affection is Vlad, a Ukrainian immigrant, it could have turned into a dour, aggressively "now" social lecture but what elevates the film is its emotional complexity and subtlety, with a script interested in its characters as actual human beings. It is also most refreshing that the film does not idealise its young protagonist, a sin committed by too many coming-of-age stories. Enzo is awkward, clumsy, unpredictable, at times downright stupid but that makes him all the more human and relatable.
The relationship between Enzo and Vlad is handled with great care. Their attraction simmers beneath the surface, starting off with a friendship that slowly evolves to a closer and more intimate connection. The script does not take a transgressive turn however, nor does it need to, as it is more interested in exploring the ever changing dynamics between the two.
Enzo himself seems unsure of what he actually wants from Vlad. There is a physical attraction first and foremost, toward someone older, rougher, more worldly. Vlad, though older than him by a mere few years, carries the weight of experience, of exile, of war, of a life far removed from Enzo’s comfortable existence. The film hints at a kind of fetishism as well as Enzo is fascinated not just by Vlad’s masculinity but his virility as a former solider.
Enzo has a burgeoning social conscience but one borne more out of dissatisfaction with his own surroundings rather than real conviction, a facet of his character that again makes him ring painfully true. In one charged exchange, Enzo impulsively declares that he wants to follow Vlad back to Ukraine with the conviction that only teenagers in love can have. Vlad’s answer is quietly devastating, managing his emotions but opening his eyes to the reality of their respective situations.
The script also offers a nuanced portrait of Enzo’s family. We see an upper-middle-class household with a vaguely bohemian veneer, trying (with varying degrees of success) to understand a son who seems directionless, especially compared to his elder brother who already have a successful life ahead of him and one that is all mapped out already. Enzo, by contrast, drifts and the film invites us to understand the family's concern as his parents veer between their protectiove instinct and a tacit understanding to let him make his own mistakes and finds his path, whatever it might be and so far removed from their expectations.
Eloy Pohu delivers a layered performance as Enzo, perfectly capturing the contradictions and confusion of his character. As Vlad, Maksym Slivinskyi excels in a tricky role, all in comforting masculine strength but also vulnerability and warmth.
There’s a sun-drenched sadness to Enzo, with a confident direction that makes the most of his South of France setting but again never going for a kind of postcard perfect imagery It is a film of rare restraint and emotional texture, quietly devastating and with an an ending that is one for the ages, making it one of the most affecting gay coming-of-age dramas in recent memory.
Review by Laurent de Alberti
Star rating: ★★★★★
Directors' Fortnight, opening film
Enzo. Directed by Robin Campillo, starring Eloy Pohu, Maksym Slivinskyi...
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