The Origins of Identity Theft: Cinema
Dimitri Keramitas reports on Xavier Giannoli’s latest film offering, “A l’Origine”, which tackles the subject of identity theft
A Cinematic World by Dimitri Keramitas, WCW Columnist
A l’Origine (At the Origin) is an interesting, but flawed, French film that explores a very particular kind of identity theft. In recent years, we have seen con men steal the identity of individuals, bilking them of funds and turning their lives into a nightmare (in one case, a victim needed more than a year to get himself back). In Xavier Giannoli’s movie, supposedly based on a true story, the con man steals the identity of an enormous public works construction company.
What’s fascinating, at least at first, is that he doesn’t use the Internet or IT technology like most ID thieves, but defrauds the old-fashioned way, with primitively forged printed documents.
It’s actually this so last-century approach that gives him credibility (we are also given to understand that folks in heavy construction and provincial politics are perhaps on the wrong side of the digital divide). Unlike the antihero of Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me if You Can”, the protagonist of “At the Origin” doesn’t content himself with a series of impostures.
The fraud committed by Philippe Muller (François Cluzet) is a doozy: he manages to convince a small-town municipality and dozens of construction suppliers that he’s the real thing, and to let him embark on an enormous highway project, taking a cut from all and sundry, who believe that kickbacks are a normal way to do, or at least get, business done. The fraud continues for several months because in France invoices are often unpaid till 90 days after billing.
One complication is that the project seems to be a highway to “nowhere”.
Another complication is that Muller, who is treated as a savior in the depressed town, begins an affair with its mayor (Emmanuelle Devos), a sultry widow intrigued by the very oddness of the “constructor.”
Inevitably, he falls for her, just as he begins to identify with the workers that he has (fictively) employed. So far, so interesting. The problem with At the Origin lies not in its narrative premise, but with the characterization of the protagonist. François Cluzet is a good actor, but his portrayal is very opaque.
First we need to feel the passionate charm of the con man, while Muller comes off as a petty thief who’s sleepwalked into the biggest fraud of his career. Second, we need to feel the emotional bond develop with the workers (and Madame le Maire), and this only happens intermittently.
Third, and most of all, we need to feel the madness as Muller decides that yes, maybe he can actually pull off this fraudulent version of the Bridge Over the River Kwai. But it’s here that the film’s portrayal of its protagonist fizzles like a wet highway flare.
Director Giannoli is adept at portraying gritty, small-town life in the French provinces, and his reconstruction of the spectacular highway project is often impressive. The performances are solid, giving an authentic emotional texture to the blue-collar characters. Emmanuelle Devos is especially fine as the mayor, and Gerard Depardieu, who makes a guest star appearance as Muller’s ex-crony, gives a shot of energy to the film. However, despite Depardieu’s efforts, and a rather contrived melodramatic finish, a sense of aesthetic entropy prevails. It’s too bad.
“At the Origin” is one of the rare social films that actually make you think about where society is, and where it’s going, rather than merely reinforcing our preconceptions.
