“No one touches my brother,” Victor (Nathan Japy) the older brother of the title character (Eloy Pohu) of Laurent Cantet’s final film “Enzo” says to his friends, meaning his words in a literal sense to the two young women he’s invited over to their family’s pool who think the 16-year-old is cute, but the mild disdain in his voice suggests this may be a truth as much as a command. This is said without Victor knowing why Enzo is at home at all when he should be at work on a construction site, but his brother has been brought home early by his supervisor Corelli (Philippe Petit) who leans towards letting him go for his lackadaisical effort until it appears imprudent to do so upon meeting their parents Paolo and Marion (Pierfrancesco Favino and Elodie Bouchez) in their luxurious hillside home, not wanting to get on the bad side of a wealthy family. They may have to say nothing to Corelli to intimidate him, but this power has the opposite effect on Enzo, who knows that the easy life that demands nothing of him isn’t for him and being untouchable has its drawbacks.
“Enzo” could be considered a miracle for the fact alone that it was completed after the untimely passing of Cantet last year from cancer. Brought to the screen by his more-than-capable longtime collaborator Robin Campillo (“BPM”), who graciously gives “The Class” filmmaker a possessory credit despite seeing its ultimate production through by himself as a director, the coming-of-age film is a wonder in other ways as it reveals the deep discontent that belies the idyllic lifestyle of Enzo’s family, with the alienated teen certain there’s something more rewarding for him outside the home he grew up in, yet having had a privileged youth, has little confidence in trusting his imagination of what that is. After dropping out of school, he’s drawn to construction work when he believes buildings stand the test of time and will satisfy his parents to know he’s doing something productive. Yet the line of work still distresses his father who can’t understand why his son would want anything besides the life they have now.
It’s probably true that Enzo is a bit misguided when he’s no good with a shovel, but he builds something of value nonetheless when his time at the construction site leads him to meet Vlad (Maksym Slivinskyi), a Ukrainian immigrant just a few years older than himself. Showing more respect for him as an adult than anyone else in his immediate orbit, Vlad gives the kid’s confidence a boost to the point that when an after-hours visit to a nightclub doesn’t work out when Enzo can’t pass muster at the door, he still considers it “the best night of his life” when for once he felt he had complete agency. Vlad doesn’t only make him feel like part of a bigger world in taking him out at night, but when Vlad’s country is at war and he could be called back at a moment’s notice to serve, the proximity to someone dealing with issues far more serious than the frivolity he feels is around himself becomes intoxicating.
Of course, this being a Cantet film, growing up is hardly a matter of age and curiosity and consternation with communicating with the fickle teen leads all in his orbit towards deep introspection. “You want them to conform, but when they do, you miss the craziness,” muses Marion, who along with Paolo would like to think of herself as someone that allows their child to spread their wings on their own terms. Yet the film illuminates how privilege has subtly alleviated their sense of responsibility towards parenting and permissiveness has curdled into unintentional neglect as Enzo seeks some boundaries that could put him on the right path. For his part, Vlad, played with just the right mix of toughness and tenderness by first-time actor Slivinskyi, may be deeply admired by Enzo, but struggles to understand the appreciation when he hardly has things figured out for himself and there are limits to what he can be for him.
When knowing the backstory of “Enzo,” it is only natural to feel as if it’s a summation of Cantet’s work though he surely didn’t know it would be his last and the film gets at the same tensions he explored in “Heading South” and “The Workshop” when the pursuit of being more culturally conscientious could backfire spectacularly with misguided intent. However, after working with Campillo as a co-writer, it is particularly special to see a fusion of their aesthetic sensibilities play out with Campillo’s frequent cinematographer Jeanne Lapoirie (“Last Summer,” “Red Island”) casually evoking a world that insists there shouldn’t be too much for Enzo to complain about and the sound of the ever-present cicadas a part of the sensuality that have made his films such as “Red Island” so absorbing.
The film also reflects an evolution of Cantet’s own style, occasionally breaking out the propulsive approach of “Human Resources” and “Time Out” where the precarious nature of working at the whims of a corporation were expressed in chilly and restless visuals to match the volatility of its main character, mixed with the patience to settle in, step back and really open up the screen to other perspectives as he would later would as he adopted a more laid-back and observational mode of filmmaking. The versatility suggests a master at work, it’s perhaps the ultimate tribute to a filmmaker who believed everyone had something to offer that it was completed by others and it’s centered on a young man who benefits from not having all the answers just yet. While a sense of purpose for its lead may be elusive for now, the one thing “Enzo” has no doubts about is how the instinct to question will lead to a better place.
“Enzo” will screen again at the Cannes Film Festival as part of Directors Fortnight on May 15th at 9 am at La Licorne and 7 pm at the Alexandre III and May 16th at 11:30 am at Les Arcades.