Comme une image

Unresolved tensions in family relations in Comme une image were worked out in several directions, often involving dramatic twists and turns in the narrative. Lolita was embarked on a number of different career paths, sometimes fulfilling her singing aspirations by appearing on stage in Paris, Venice or London. Many acts of revenge were committed as simmering resentments exploded into murder. Accidental death on the road added a tragic ending for some, with any of Lolita, Sylvie and Sebastien falling victim. Etienne emerged as a plagiarist, fraudster or swindler and was forced to pay for his actions. Others chose to develop more minor characters, Karine or even Louna, with a union between Karine and Sebastien occurring to thwart Lolita’s wish to be reconciled with her friend. Entrants also opted to recount events through different characters’ eyes, immersing us in the viewpoint of Etienne, for example, to trace through his incomprehension of his daughter’s behaviour and ambitions. Some entries deliberately maintained a lack of resolution and shifted or further nuanced the tensions on display: for instance, opening the way for a happy father-daughter reunion, but then foreclosing that possibility with further miscommunication.

Un air de famille

Accounts from different points of view – including Caruso the dog’s! – also featured amongst responses to Un air de famille. Some entrants chose to shift perspective between characters in the course of their rewriting. Given the odd assemblage of characters that make up the ensemble cast, several experimented with different pairing outcomes: Denis uniting with Yoyo or, more unexpectedly, Philippe with Betty; Caruso also found a feline companion. Certain motifs of the film were picked up and developed, such as the electric fly trap, the flashbacks to childhood, or the motorcycle. Arlette occasionally made an appearance to reconcile with Henri and Henri himself sometimes broke out of the shadow of Philippe and his mother to re-name the restaurant in an attempt to define his future life a bit less encumbered by family resemblances.