Beau Père (1981) review

This is a tactful rewrite of Nabokov's very familiar Lolita, this time envisioning Lolita herself as the aggressor and Humbert Humbert as the passive recipient (and examines the moral implications - on both sides - of this dynamic). Blier treats his material delicately (to avoid becoming crass) and Patrick Dewaere's performance is excellent - his face registers a mixture of confusion, desire and deep concern for the predicament he gets trapped in. The ending is quite clever, too, as it offers an ominous look at the potential future of Dewaere's new relationship.