Synopsis:

1948. Jacques-Yves Cousteau, his wife, and his two sons live in paradise in a beautiful house looking out over the Mediterranean Sea. But Cousteau dreams of adventure. Thanks to his invention, an autonomous diving suit that allows him to breathe underwater, he has discovered a new world. He will explore this world, and is prepared to sacrifice everything to do so.

Lambert Wilson embodies with force and mastery this passionate explorer, who transforms into a demanding businessman, and – in his later life – into the famous environmental activist. On board his ship, The Calypso, Cousteau travelled the seas. As the ‘man with the red cap’, he was known for his underwater explorations, bringing the magic of that world to an international TV audience in his popular documentaries.

This film invites us to marvel at the magic that lies underwater – one lyrical sequence shows a majestic whale drifting peacefully in the blue sea. Combining elements of a biopic and romantic fresco full of family drama, The Odyssey takes us on an adventurous journey.
- Alliance Francaise

Film Review:

The very first aqua-lung prototype was used by a man named Jacques -Yves Cousteau (Lambert Wilson). Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He and his other two friends made the film Épaves (Shipwrecks) - an underwater film about sea adventure. Although they did not pioneer the first underwater documentation, Cousteau became a very familiar explorer and underwater filmmaker in his time.

L’ O'dyssée is a movie based on his life and his journey towards realising his dream. Cousteau was a happy family man who thought he could change the world with his passion for diving and sea exploration. He eventually gets to be very lucky and became a great adventurer/filmmaker. However, throughout his thirty-year journey, he seemed to have forgotten about his wife and kids. His adventures became his life, and his films became the most important thing in the world- eventually leading to a broken and unhappy family. Although he did not do very well with his relationships, his explorations made him an environmentalist and inspired many people in taking care of the sea, our planet, and especially the wildlife.

This film is artistically presented with a magical element to it. A quality that many great French films possess. The production design is brilliant, especially the colour palate, costume and graphics. Most of the scenes are breathtaking and spectacular.  A particular scene was when Philippe Cousteau (Pierre Niney) encountered a blue whale while diving. It was a magnificent shot and beautifully captured. As well as when the whole family first took a dive and saw incredible sea creatures and corals. It was so engaging that it felt like I was underwater too, swimming with the fish. The cinematography is impressive, and a lot of memorable take home scenes from the film.

The cast is great, and their characters were captivating. Most especially, Jacques'and Philippe’s. Both of them are great actors and portrayed their father-son relationship very well. Simone Cousteau (Audrey Tautou) was great too in her role as the wife and mother. However, she did not have much opportunity in the film for her character to evolve. She seemed to have been tucked away more often than appearing. The same with Jean-Michel Cousteau (Benjamin Lavernhe), he had the least scenes, and when he was on it, he doesn’t seem to fit in very well, though. He has been hidden away too from the story too much that it felt uncomfortable seeing him appear in his scenes. Nevertheless, the cast did very well with their roles.

There’s a lot of great things about this film. One is that it sends a vital message. That we should all at least try to follow our dreams and find meaning in life. Another is that family is paramount in one’s life and to keep that balance is key to a happy life. Lastly, a message that asks help for the preservation our environment and protection of wildlife -a continuous battle that is crucial right now.  And that it’s not too late to make a difference for the good of our planet.

Overall, the film is brilliantly made, with a remarkable story, script and visual. But the film in totality did not deliver to its best and full potential. Some scenes felt a bit dull and dragging with too much focus on just Jacques and his son Phillipe-creating a perplexed feeling and reaction about the film in general.

Now showing as part of the Alliance Francaise (French Film Festival). In Auckland, it’s showing from March 2- 22, 2017.