Melvil Poupaud makes warmth and a little cowardice look quite compatible. We value his restraint, especially when it lets a difficult character remain sympathetic, though he needs writing that gives him more to do than hesitate.
Fi1m perspective
In One Fine Morning (2022), Clément is an appealing lover and an unreliable prospect, and Poupaud makes both easy to believe. Opposite Léa Seydoux's Sandra, he gives Mia Hansen-Løve the warmth the affair needs. The intimate scenes are frank and unshowy; the pleasure of being together is clear enough without anyone having to insist on it. We like his willingness to let a little cowardice remain visible in a sympathetic performance.
That comfort with people who are difficult to pin down runs through a career shaped by recurring directors. Raúl Ruiz's City of Pirates (1983) began their collaboration; Three Lives and Only One Death (1996), in which Poupaud plays Martin, belongs to the same long association. We like the latter's playful handling of shifting identities, though its complications go on too long. Marcello Mastroianni has four roles there, so it is hardly the place to begin if Poupaud is the attraction. Éric Rohmer's A Summer’s Tale (1996), with Poupaud as Gaspard, gives his reserved manner a conversational setting that fits him well.
François Ozon's Time to Leave (2005) began another sustained collaboration. The Refuge (2010) and By the Grace of God (2019) followed, the latter drawing on his ability to let distress emerge gradually. Xavier Dolan's Laurence Anyways (2012) gives him the lead as Laurence Alia, a character he plays without falling back on a stereotype.
Hansen-Løve's film is a useful reminder that this restraint still needs something to develop. We grew impatient with the affair in One Fine Morning, because the scenes between Sandra and Clément kept repeating the same hesitation. Poupaud remains warm and convincing, but there is little fresh for him to play as the scenes accumulate. That is a limitation of the part, not a reason to dismiss the performance.
We would start with One Fine Morning, accepting that Poupaud is only one reason to see it. It is a good performance in a film whose stronger scenes belong elsewhere. Then try A Summer’s Tale for a leading part that makes room for his conversational ease.
Biography
Melvil Poupaud is a French actor. He was born on 26 January 1973 in Paris and made his screen debut at the age of ten in Raúl Ruiz's City of Pirates (1983), after being introduced to the director by his mother, the filmmaker Chantal Poupaud. He went on to appear in nine further films by Ruiz.
Poupaud received César Award nominations for Most Promising Actor for his roles in The 15 Year Old Girl (1989) and Normal People Are Nothing Exceptional (1993). His credits include The Lover (1992), Laurence Anyways (2012), Speed Racer (2008), An Officer and a Spy (2019), Summer of 85 (2020) and Jeanne du Barry (2023). He played Clément in Mia Hansen-Løve's One Fine Morning (2022). He has also worked as a director and writer.
