Films that deal with sexual identity crises usually show adults or, at minimum, teenagers who are confused about who they are. In a world where, for the most part, gender identity is enforced from birth with adults dressing boys in blue and girls in pink, sometimes things don't gel properly and fail to meet the norms. Thus, the reality of transvestites, transsexuals, and those who've undergone sex change operations. What makes 'My Life In Pink" stand out, and what might just generate a lot of controversy around it, is the fact that the sexually confused character isn't an adult, or even a teenager. It's a seven-year-old boy who thinks God goofed up and mistakenly made him a boy. In his mind, things will be resolved when he grows up and becomes a girl and marries Jerome, his dad's boss' son.
If that sounds upsetting to you, then first time Belgian director Alain Berliner and screenwriter Chris vander Stappen have succeeded in shaking up the norms. They've created a stereotypically homogeneous anywhere-in-the-world suburbia and added an interesting catalyst to stir things up. While this sounds a lot like the subject of a tabloid-type made for TV movie, the film makers have infused it with enough fantasy segments to soften that appearance. Those moments also diffuse the uglier moments when the true spirit -- or lack thereof -- emanates from the parents as well as others who condescendingly look down on the young boy and his family.
What also keeps the film from becoming a "freak show" is that the boy isn't doing this to get attention and he certainly can't comprehend what all of the fuss is about. He figures his situation was the result of a simple mistake and, using his childhood logic, figures it's an easy thing to fix. For the film to work, the main character has to be completely believable and the film makers lucked out in finding young Georges du Fresne. With his innocent look and his unisex ("It's Pat!") haircut, he could easily pass for a boy or girl. It's his innocent gaze that has near touches of an adult worldliness, however, that is quite simply amazing to behold in someone so young, let alone a newcomer to the world of making movies.
The rest of the performers range from decent to good, the latter of which includes the boy's parents played by Hanna Fabres and Jean-Philippe Ecoffey. Both actors are allowed to portray varying degrees of reactions to the unfolding events, and Ecoffey soundly plays the father whose own masculinity is threatened by his son's behavior. It's Fabres, however, who stands out as the mother who's initially supportive, but eventually breaks down and just can't handle the pressure anymore. Her reactions seem quite genuine and believable, and she brings some much needed humanity to the picture.
Some minor problems do arise, however, in relation to these character shifts. While it's quite realistic that a parent's reaction in such a situation would often change, here those moments often feel forced or occur too quickly. It's a minor objection, but they have an awkward feel to them, especially when the father -- who initially has the worst reactions -- suddenly adopts a "damn the torpedoes" attitude and more fully supports his son. Likewise, the neighbor's collective reactions later in the film don't really ring true as they have the look and feel of those zombie movies from the 1950's when such characters would slowly shuffle after the besieged family.
Of course, so much of the film includes fantasy sequences that you're never quite sure what's supposed to be real and what's not exactly on the up and up. Some moments are obvious, and include the boy's imagination of meeting the live action version of his favorite doll, or flying across the neighborhood, or marrying his best male friend.
Part of that fantasy element comes from Berliner's inspired choice of set designs and colors. The use of clearly evident pastel hues shows that the film isn't meant to be taken too seriously (after all, how many vivid pink garage doors have you ever seen?) The film's production design is set up to show what happens when an idealistic, pastel-colored world suddenly has a hole torn straight through it. Convincingly enough, once the problems start creeping in, the film loses much of that color (except during more fantasy sequences) as the world worsens for Ludovic and his family.
Looking beyond the boy's obvious treatment, the story in fact, is really about the parents. More concerned with how others see them than by how they view themselves or their son, it's their homogenous, "Leave it to Beaver" world of neighborly parties and carpools that crumbles. Their son, who has no problems being seen as different, simply knows what he's supposed to be and adapts. Instead, it's the parents and the other adults who can't cope with this change.
While this might sound heavy handed regarding the notions of accepting others the way they are or not to fall prey to being like everyone else, its lighthearted approach makes the message bearable. 1997's Golden Globe winner for Best Foreign Language film, the movie manages to make its point while still being entertaining, mainly due to Ludovic's escapist fantasies and parts of the movie's overall tone that keep it from being too much of a downer.
Some viewers may find the offerings too odd and/or offensive for their tastes. For those who don't, however, they may find this picture to be an offbeat, but mostly pleasant experience. While you're never quite sure what will happen next, and although the film doesn't really end per se, it is an interesting, and rather unusual story to behold in a darkened theater. We give "Ma Vie En Rose" (My Life In Pink) a 6.5 out of 10.
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