Toto the Hero

Stars: Michel Bouquet (The Bride Wore Black, Le Complot). An ambitious film whose central idea is more compelling than the actual story, French filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael's quirky tale opens with Thomas Van Hasebroeck (Michel Bouquet), an old man confined to a nursing home, reflecting on his past. Thomas, who was called "Toto" as a boy, believes he was switched at birth with the boy next door, a privileged dandy named Alfred whom Toto envied and jealously loathed. Lying in his bed, the old Thomas fantasizes about shooting Alfred in 1930s gangster-film style because he believes that everything bad in his life happened because of Alfred. And, indeed, as the film glides between the past, the present, and Thomas's feverish imaginings of the future (much like Slaughterhouse Five) we see that Alfred has had a tragic effect on Toto's family and his love life. Eventually, Thomas makes his move and leaves the safety of the nursing home, bent on finding and destroying Alfred, and the film picks up a bit for its final leg. While filled with a number of wonderful moments, Toto the Hero suffers from trying to cram an epic-sized story into the space of 94 minutes. In the final analysis, Toto the Hero is a stylistic triumph that will still leave some shaking their heads. Audience: Multiple award-winner and favorite of critics, Toto the Hero will be looked for by foreign film fans.