Coline Serreau’s La Belle Verte (1996): Eco aliens pity and empathize with unevolved humans
Why would the EU ban such a mesmerizing film?
With the world burning and our attention spans depleting, don’t you ever wish that aliens would whisk us off to a more just and equitable planet? Coline Serreau’s film La belle verte is, in many ways, an exploration of that desire. Despite its 1996 release, the content of the film feels far ahead of its time, which could possibly explain why the EU banned the film. Its ecological message might find a home more readily today than it would have when it was first released.
The film opens on stunning green mountains where what at first appears to be humans walk in long lines to convene about a particular topic. As they gather en masse on the grass, one of them stands up to ask “who wants to go to Earth?” and so begins a dialogue in which nobody seems to lead. This is our first clue that these aliens, despite their appearances, operate in distinctly different ways from us humans. The group is decentered, welcoming all voices. Mila, the film’s protagonist, volunteers to go, confiding in an older gentleman that she’s actually half-human and would like to explore her mother’s home planet. This secret is an interesting note that would have been worth exploring further, particularly given all the indications of the superiority of this alien race. Yes, they have moved beyond industrialization, pollution, carne, racism and classism, but still they would possibly show prejudice against someone who is half human?
Mila bids good-bye to her coterie of children and asks the two older boys to watch over the little ones. Once she arrives on Earth—I’ll leave the details of her travel to your personal film viewing—much of the comedy of the film stems from her reactions to otherwise commonplace features of human life. It would be an understatement that she is no fan of the concrete jungle. The food tastes so polluted to her that she can’t even consume it.
Mila’s reaction to Earth is not, however, one-sided. Her mere presence messes with radio signals and the like; she also possesses the ability to draw out a person’s true essence. It’s not clear what her power is, exactly, but it seems that contact with her allows a human to wash away all conditioned bullshit. And so begins her Parisian adventure that offers plenty of social satire, followed by the arrival of her rambunctious and randy sons lusting after earthling ladies they spot hanging out with their mother.
Once in a while, I come across a piece of culture that is so refreshing and original that it feels like balm on the spleen. Watching Derry Girls for the first time, for instance, was a revelation. There is something so poetic and lyrical about this film. Compounded with a baroque soundtrack featuring haunting pieces primarily from Bach, the unusual movements of the aliens impart a certain, sensuous dance to their modes of communication, to say nothing of the literal dances their presence provokes on Earth. This film is funny, moving, and thought-provoking. Watch it, won’t you?
