A sweeping, grandiose testament to how cinema can be both spectacle and art, Albert Dupontel’s See You Up There (Au revoir la-haut) follows three former soldiers attempting to pull off two massive crimes after the end of World War I.
Following a disastrous battle prior to the armistice, veteran Albert Maillard (Dupontel) cares for his disfigured comrade, artist Edward Péricourt (Nahual Pérez Biscayart). Obscured by poverty and Edward’s morphine addiction, the men plot to take advantage of the public’s hero worship with a scam that would make their fortunes. The two are bound together by the senseless violence of their lieutenant, Henri Pradelle (Laurent Lafitte), who is behind a corrupt scheme to profit off of mass graveyards.
To say more would be to deprive an audience of discovering the film’s intricacies for themselves. Edward, especially, is a compelling character, and Biscayart brings him to life with an incredible empathy and energy. Dupontel, who also directed and wrote the film, plays Albert with a humility that angers you, on his behalf, for the atrocities he faces. Lafitte expertly inhabits Pradelle’s cruelty — you can only hope he gains the infamy of being one of the screen’s most captivating and merciless villains. If there are times when the characters do not seem as fleshed out as desired, that is quickly overcome by the visual feast the film presents, lavishing in elaborate details and extreme wealth, and recreating a 1920’s Paris that feels as vivid as it does accurate. Dupontel expertly manages a balancing act of surrealism, gruesome themes, and dry wit.
The film is adapted from Pierre Lemaitre’s award-winning novel, condensing a 600-page sage into a film just shy of two hours — a feat in itself. Despite grappling with so much material, the script is lean, smart, and sharp, navigating between humour, horror, and hope with plenty of opportunities for the camera to revel in the film’s visual scope. See You Up There is sprawling and elegant, tailored with a precise hand — it has a big production budget, and it shows.
See You Up There has been released exclusively at Dendy Coorparoo.
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