My Life on Ice

Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, writers/directors of 2000's The Adventures of Felix, follow up with a movie that looks like the work of a none-too-gifted amateur. Ostensibly a video diary made over the course of a year by Etienne (Jimmy Tavares), an adolescent skater in Rouen who is preparing a routine for competition (hence the supposedly clever English title), My Life on Ice finds the lad recording his own observations and practice sessions while obsessively focusing the lens on his mother and grandmother, as well as his best friend Ludovic (Lucas Bonnifait) and his mother's new boyfriend Laurent, who also happens to be one of Etienne's teachers. The resultant assemblage has isolated moments of insight and charm, but is basically an ungainly and irritatingly repetitive mess, with a final revelation that will surprise no one, since it has been telegraphed throughout by Etienne's choice of photographic subjects. Hard to believe that anyone would enjoy watching this earnest but ultimately pointless little picture, in which friends and family (echoing the sentiments of the viewer) repeatedly complain to Etienne about his annoyingly intrusive filmmaking. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary with writers/directors Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, director bios, cast filmographies, weblinks and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a small, forgettable film.] (F. Swietek)