“The Valley of Fools”, the motionless journey of Jean-Paul Rouve

Crumbling under debt, Jean-Paul (Jean-Paul Rouve) must, with his young daughter, return to live with his father (Pierre Richard), who manages the restaurant previously run by Jean-Paul’s deceased wife. When he can’t get back on track, Jean-Paul decides to do the Vendée Globe on an online simulation game from the sailboat installed in the family garden. From the garden to the house, Beauvois’ film leads a double story: on the one hand, the tightening of the family structure around the restaurant soon taken over by Jean-Paul’s eldest son, on the other, his marine adventure, which goes first and foremost through withdrawal from alcoholism.

A redemptive trajectory which does not spare its main character (a chilling scene where the smell of disinfectant alcohol is on the verge of making him plunge again) and avoids adopting a complacent or simplistic view of its subject. Jean-Paul Rouve proves convincing with the simplicity of his score and constructs a touchingly sincere performance. A simplicity which is generalized throughout the film, abandoning a plastic ambition of the staging in favor of the development of a fair and tender look at its characters.

Behind this false adventure film, which is intertwined with the family chronicle, lies a dark and harsh story about alcoholism. The Valley of Fools tells, in fact, nothing other than a man who decides to confine himself for fear of becoming dangerous for himself and those close to him. For this, the virtual acts not only as a capsule that protects and isolates from reality, but also as its accelerator, its amplifier. Jean-Paul’s motionless journey will take on the characteristics of a great intimate and restorative epic for him, while sponsors will soon position themselves to encourage the player’s progress, like the real Vendée Globe. In one scene, the virtual and the real come together in a movement which draws a joyful horizon around the dream.

The Valley of Fools by Xavier Beauvois, with Jean-Paul Rouve, Pierre Richard (Fr., 2024, 2:07 a.m.). In theaters November 13.