We watched for you… Why I live, the biopic about Grégory Lemarchal (TF1)
It was a highly anticipated event that made headlines on TF1 and re-broadcast on May 1st: the biopic Why I Live about Grégory Lemarchal.
What is why am I alive? December 2004, Paris, Gregory Lemarchal wins the Star Academy live in front of more than ten million people who communicate with him.
In the spring of 1985, Pierre and Laurence Lemarchal discover that their child is suffering from an incurable disease, cystic fibrosis… Between the two, it is the story of a child like no other, the story of a voice, a presence, an extra soul, a struggle in every moment.
Between the two, Gregory’s story is written in the first person.
The difficult exercise of the biopic
With why i liveTF1 plunges into a difficult exercise, that of the biopic. Leaving aside the stories of historical figures (from Papillon to Mesrine to Joan of Arc and so many others), the biopic of French stars is not an easy exercise and therefore not very common. Mainly identified in cinema, we can quote La Môme, Cloclo, Gainsbourg a heroic life or Dalida, Coluche: A Man’s Story. With this one, TF1 attempts the more “enigmatic” of a telehook-turned-star personality: Gregory Lemarchal.
Given the other names mentioned above, some gossipers will wonder in the name what justifies the fact that his life is told in a film. But apart from the young man’s undeniable talent, his powerful voice, capable of angering those who listen to him, it is his unique story alone that justifies this fiction, which not only pays homage to the flawless determination of a young man , who only wants to live normally, but also by his parents and relatives, who stood by him to the end. One question remains: does the film avoid the traditional pitfalls of the biopic?
Why I Live: “He Becomes Him”
The film begins, as so often in a biopic, with a performance, here it is this incredible interpretation of Grégory Lemarchal at the Star Ac. It is undoubtedly this vocal performance that propels him into the big leagues. For the occasion, the Star Ac set has been reassembled and Nikos Aliagas resumes his role as master of ceremonies (very good success of the decoration teams – also in their work on the castle – even if, we forgive them, the symphony orchestra is not back). From the first minutes you’re just caught up and blown away by the incredible performance of Mickael Lumière who not only plays Grégory but literally becomes you. It’s breathtaking, awe-inspiring, but the feeling of seeing Grégory ‘born again’ in front of our eyes is also disturbing (we can only imagine what it must be like for the young man’s family). His performance throughout the film reminds us of Jeremy Rénier’s in cloclo because the two actors are inextricably linked to their alter egos.
One of Grégory Lemarchal’s songs was called “I become myself‘ to plagiarize it, we’re going to say thathe will he.
“I watched all the shows again Star Academy. I was inspired by his spontaneity, his gestures on stage, his facial expression, his humor…”
Michael light
By his side, Arnaud Ducret and Odile Vuillemin are also excellent in the roles of Pierre and Laurence Lemarchal, with a special mention to Odile Vuillemin who has done a remarkable job, both acting and physical, to follow in the footsteps of this woman who never stopped fighting for his son . However, we regret that Lou Gala (as Gregory’s sister Leslie) is not further exploited. The actress, excellent, has few ways to express herself. Too bad because his book My brother the artist is credited as the source for the adaptation of the film.
But you can easily find a very simple reason: how many biopics, why i live Choosing not to capture a moment of life, but life as a whole, cannot avoid the necessary leaps in time that sometimes make us miss moments that we would rather capture. Such is the very beautiful love story between Grégory and Karine Ferri (Candice Dufau) is little to show and we go pretty quickly from the first moments of her story to the end of Grégory’s life.
On this subject, Grégory’s last moments are narrated with great humility and sobriety, which benefits the film (when, for example, that of cloclo was sometimes something too much).
“Why I live” is a huge success that will delight fans of the singer, but not only the film can be viewed with great pleasure. Grégory Lemarchal’s posthumous album was called La voix d’un ange, and while the film doesn’t avoid the ‘agiographic’ aspect, it ends up fading rather quickly. What remains is a beautiful story and, above all, the performance of an actor that should be observed very closely.
What we remember from Why I Live
The unveiling of an actor who we hope will easily get rid of this image since he looks like Grégory Lemarchal
The care taken in reconstructing sets such as the Star Ac set or the Château. Also worth noting is the success of the cast, which tries to stay physically close in many roles (Gérard Louvin, the star ac teachers, Alexia Laroche Joubert).
The project could have been a headache and Laurent Tuel was successful with his bet
The entire announcement of Grégory Lemarchal’s victory was repeated almost identically: the youngster’s attitude while awaiting the verdict, his attitude towards Lucie (played by Ilona Bachelier), to the words of Nikos when the victory was announced and word was repeated for word .
To support the association:
You can support the Grégory Lemarchal Association with an online donation, check or bequest. For all correspondence:
Gregory Lemarchal Association
BP 90 124
73 001 Chambery Cedex
Web page: www.association-gregorylemarchal.org
