''Élisa'' is a 1995 French drama film directed by Jean Becker and starring

Vanessa Paradis Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model and actress. Paradis became a star at the age of 14 with the international success of her single " Joe le taxi" (1987). At age 18, she was awarded France's highest ho ...

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor. An icon of French cinema, considered a world star in the same way as Alain Delon or Brigitte Bardot, he has completed over 250 films since 1967, most of which as ...

Clotilde Courau Clotilde Marie Pascale di Savoia, Princess of Venice (née Clotilde Marie Pascale Courau; born 3 April 1969) is a French actress. She was married to Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. Burke's Royal Families of the World ...

Firmine Richard Firmine Richard (born 25 September 1947 Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France) is a French actress. Her film credits include '' 8 Women'' and '' Hunting and Gathering''. Personal life In February 2009, Richard took part in demonstrations in Par ...

and

Florence Thomassin Florence Thomassin (born 24 June 1966) is a French actress and sculptor. In 2001, Thomassin was nominated for a César Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Beatrice in Bernard Rapp's '' A Question of Taste'' ("Une affaire de goû ...

. It was released by Gaumont through

Gaumont Buena Vista International The Walt Disney Company France (), formerly Walt Disney Mickey Mouse, S.A. and Walt Disney Productions France, is one of The Walt Disney Company's international divisions and also European divisions. It is headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France. ...

in France on 1 February 1995.

Plot

Marie is a teenage girl living a life of crime with her friends on the streets of Paris. Her mother, Élisa, suffering from poverty and abandoned by her husband and estranged from her parents, had tried to kill her when she was very young and later committed suicide. Her father has never been a part of her life. One day, Marie decides to find him and take revenge for not helping her as a child. However, when she finds him, she realizes she cannot kill him. A flashback reveals that he had left her mother because she had prostituted herself to support the family. After discovering a love letter her father had written to her mother, Marie forgives him.

Cast

as Marie Desmoulin *

as Jacques 'Lébovitch' Desmoulin *

as Solange * Sekkou Sall as Ahmed *

as Élisa Desmoulin *

Michel Bouquet Michel François Pierre Bouquet (6 November 1925 – 13 April 2022) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1947 to 2020. He won the Best Actor European Film Award for '' Toto the Hero'' in 1991 and two Best ...

as Samuel *

Philippe Léotard Philippe Léotard (his full name was Ange Philippe Paul André Léotard-Tomasi; 28 August 1940 – 25 August 2001) was a French actor, poet and singer. Biography He was born in Nice, one of seven children - four girls, then three boys, of whi ...

as Gitane Smoker *

Catherine Rouvel Catherine Rouvel (born Catherine Vitale; 31 August 1939 in Marseille) is an acclaimed French actress. Her career spans from 1959 in television to 2004. At 14, she took dance classes, which she abandoned in favor of theater. She made her debut wi ...

as Manina *

Melvil Poupaud Melvil Matthias Julien Poupaud (born 26 January 1973) is a French actor. Early life Poupaud was born in Paris, the son of Michel Poupaud and publicist Chantal Poupaud. He has an elder brother, Yarol, who is a musician. Career Poupaud made hi ...

as Pharmacist's son *

Olivier Saladin Olivier Saladin is a French actor. Career He is best known for playing in the cult TV series '' Les Deschiens'' (1993–2002), in which he plays alongside Yolande Moreau Yolande Moreau (born 27 February 1953) is a Belgian comedian, actress, ...

as Kevin * Bernard Verley as The contractor * José Garcia as Taxi Passenger *

Philippe Duquesne Philippe Duquesne (born 30 June 1965) is a French actor. Career He is best known for playing in the cult TV series '' Les Deschiens'' (1993–2002). In 2004, after the end of the show on Canal+, Yolande Moreau, his partner on screen, hired ...

as P.M.U. Owner *

as P.M.U. Customer *

Samir Guesmi Samir Guesmi is a French actor. Filmography Actor Filmmaker Theatre References External links * 1967 births Living people French male film actors French male television actors Male actors from Paris French people of Algeria ...

Themes

The film features the song ''Elisa'' by

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

, to whom the film is posthumously dedicated. The song tells about the love of a man in his forties for a girl in her twenties, alluding to Marie and her father Jacques.

References

External links

* 1995 films 1995 drama films 1990s French-language films Films directed by Jean Becker Films scored by Zbigniew Preisner Films scored by Michel Colombier Films scored by Serge Gainsbourg French drama films 1990s French films Gaumont (company) films {{1990s-France-film-stub