Reviewed by Jason Goodyer
Stars Philippe Marlaud, Bernard Tronczyk, Patrick Lepczynski, Sabine Haudepin | Written by Maurice Pialat
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £19.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 81 minutes | Directed by Maurice Pialat
Revered in his native France as the natural successor to Renoir, Maurice Pialat remains something of a footnote in the annals of cinematic history on this side of La Manche. Originally a painter by trade he was past 40 by the time he made his first feature L’Enfance Nue, a brutal, uncompromising portrayal of a troubled nine-year-old boy who is put into foster care by his parents. Films that followed dealt with extramarital affairs (We Won’t Grow Old Together), sex and the class divide (Loulou) and the effect of terminal illness on the family unit (The Mouth Agape) forming an impressive body of work notable for its tough, unsentimental take on social realism.
Set in the mining town of Lens, Passe Ton Bac D’abord, which translates as Pass Your Bac First, follows a group of friends stuck in the purgatory that lies between the ending of childhood and the onset of adulthood after finishing their formal education by taking the Baccalaureate examination, the French equivalent to British A-levels. With no clear aims and a distinct lack of opportunities they sleepwalk through their adolescence longing to escape the monotony but are clueless as to how to do it. With nothing meaningful with which to fill their time they while away the hours drinking beer, eating chips and chatting in a dingy café - a routine that remains uninterrupted day after day save for a smattering of clumsy kissing, casual sex or pot smoking. At odds with their parents’ traditional values and ideals, each of them attempts to break free from the drudgery in their own way. Some enter loveless marriages, some take on menial jobs and a few stay the course to get their diplomas but none of them end up happy.
From the opening scenes showing a philosophy teacher pontificating about the nature of learning to an uninterested classroom of teens it’s clear the film is a lacerating condemnation of the French education system and the apathetic, directionless kids it spits out year after year. The combination of verite-style photography, use of non-actors and strong social message recalls the work of Britain’s Ken Loach. Like Loach’s Kes, Looks and Smiles and Poor Cow, Passe Ton Bac D’abord paints a grim picture of a working class ignored by the government and trapped by circumstance in a dead-end life of menial jobs and money worries. Each of the young characters is easy to identify with and fully realized thanks to Pialat’s keen ear for dialogue and attention to detail with the director never resorting to clichés or stereotypes to get his points across. The strong naturalistic performances of the young ensemble cast help to flesh out the characters resulting in an immersive and affecting authenticity that is wholly engaging despite the generally slow pace and heavy subject matter. Thirty years on from its original release the film has lost none of its power or relevance and the central questions it poses are just as pertinent now as they were in the 70s. With Eureka’s Masters of Cinema Series reissuing all 11 of Pialat’s feature films it seems likely his impressive back catalogue will finally be brought the wider recognition it so richly deserves.
EXTRAS **** An 11-minute, 2003 video interview with Pialat collaborator's Arlette Langmann and Patrick Grandperret, conducted by Serge Toubiana (former editor-in-chief of Cahiers du cinéma and director of the Cinémathèque Française). Après le bac [After the Bac] - a 26-minute, 2003 documentary featurette by Serge Toubiana and Sonia Buchman that catches up with the cast and setting of the film in the present era. Original trailer for the film, and trailers for the six other Maurice Pialat features available from The Masters of Cinema Series. A lengthy booklet with an essay by filmmaker and educator Jean-Pierre Gorin, and newly translated interviews with Maurice Pialat.