The film Indochine (1992) directed by Regis Warnier is a story set in Asia particularly Vietnam. The story starts in Vietnam in 1930 and ends on the eve of the communist revolution in 1954. Catherine Deneuve plays a plantation owner, Eliane and her adopted Vietnamese daughter Camille is played by Linh Dan Pham.
Eliane, a French colonist, owns the largets rubber-tree plantations in Indochine. She lives with her father. She does not have a husband but has an adopted daughter named Camille. She meets an officer, younger than her, named Jean-Baptiste while attending a painting auction. They had a brief affair. The affair led to various circumstances that rocked the relationship between mother and daughter.
Summary of Regis Warnier's Indochine
In the film Indochine directed by Regis Warnier, Camille’s character is put to test in the story. At the start, Eliane passionately loves Camille. They were very close to each other. The most striking metaphor to their closeness was the Tango scene, in which mother and daughter danced a grotesque parody of romance. The passionate tango which the mother and daughter performs at their Christmas party appears to be innocent.
But Eliane's words as she whispers to Camille that she wants to be alone with her in a mountain chalet "like in the fairy tales" makes it seem twisted. It almost appears like a heterosexual courting scene. This clearly shows Eliane's masculinity and her need to dominate which exemplifies the role played by France to Vietnam at that time. Camille, on the other hand, is adored and obedient.
But ultimately, Camille learns to step out of her boundaries and go out of her comfort zone. The turning point of the mother-daughter relationship begins when young and handsome Jean-Baptiste, a naval officer, enters the scene.
Eliane's usual cold and distant exterior is shattered when she falls for him. Camille, the young and impressionable girl also falls for Jean-Baptiste after he "saved" her at a shooting accident, wherein a French police officer almost kills Camille.
Jean-Baptiste and Camille are attracted to each other. Eliane is aware of Camille’s feelings for the young guy. Perhaps driven by jealousy and hurt or at best, thinking that she is doing Camille a favor, Eliane made sure that Jean-Baptiste be transferred and stationed in the most desolate far-away outpost on an island called Tonkin Islands. Elaine made sure that the two will never see each other again. With Jean-Baptiste out of the way, Camille has no choice but to marry the man she was promised to.
Eliane though committed a fatal error. She underestimated Camille’s will. Camille flees the plantation, sets out cross-country to search for the man she truly loves. Far from the clutches and influence of her surrogate mother, Camille finally comes to terms with her own identity. She begins to see things with her own eyes. As she travels the country, she gains a greater understanding and respect for the people in her homeland.
Camille found Jean-Baptiste and together they contrive to kill one of his colleagues. This put them both on the run. At the same time, Vietnam was in the midst of political unrest at that time which is often the outcome if a country is under colonialism.
Camille and Jean-Baptiste have a child. The government found them. Jean-Baptiste is killed. The child is forcibly taken from her. She gets arrested for her crimes against the state. This is the impetus that pushed Camille to the limits and totally changed her character. From the meek, obedient one, she becomes politicized and turns into a staunch supporter of the communists in the country’s civil war.
The country is rocked in turmoil after unrest spreads all throughout the region. Camille abandons her adoptive family and her child in order to fight for the cause she believes in. The love between Camille and Jean Baptiste survived through their infant son, Etienne, who was adopted and raised by Elaine. The film ends with Paris Peace Talks in 1973.
Lessons from the Story
Camille believes in a greater cause outside herself. She fights for the common good not for selfish reasons. She abandons her comfortable life to advance the greater vision.
At the core of this story is the theme of unity and doing things for the greater good. Camille’s vision and actions are rooted in the need to improve. She attained this by fighting for her ideals and giving up her comfortable life. From it, one can glean that individuals working as a unit can alter the course of history.
Reference:
Indochine film (1992) directed by Regis Warnier
 |
