THE CLOSET

THE CLOSET

The Closet is a French film written by Francis Veber which was recorded in 2001 in Cannes Film Festival. It is about a man who pretends to be homosexual to keep his job, with absurd and unexpected consequences. The cast consist of Daniel Auteuil as François Pignon, the main character. Gérard Depardieu as Félix Santini, a homophobic co-worker who used to harass him. Michel Aumont as Belone, his neighbor who changes his life. Michéle Laroque as Mademoiselle Bertrand, his assistant and Alexandra Vandernoot as Christine his wife.

Franóis Pignon, an unassuming divorced man with a teenager son who ignores completely him, works in a rubber factory. When he realizes that he will be fired from his job as an accountant, he thinks that he should suicide. However, his new Neighbor, a psychologis, dissuades him from jumping from his balcony and star giving him suggestions to keep his job. Belone proposes that Pignon star a rumor that he is homosexual showing some provocative images to his boss, Mr. Kopel. The rubber´s factory´s main products are condoms so because of the fact that the gay community is essential for the factory Mr. Kopel decides to keep Pignon.

Pignon doesn´t change his behaviour but some of his co-workers and supervisor begin to regard him differently, seeing him as exotic. His life becomes unexpectedly and dramatically better. Félix Santini, a homophobic collegue who used to harras him, has been warned that he could be fired for discrimination if he continues with this attitude so he star making friendly overtures with Pignon. His friendship develops into a obsessive attraction and he has to be institutionalized to recover from his emotional breakdown.

The company enters a float in a local gay pride parade and Pignon goes riding on it. When his son watches him on the television feels thrilled. He want to learn his father, who he has always find boring and bland, he show more interest to meet with him and they spend more time together. Finally he gains enough self- confidence to tell her ex-wife what he thinks of her. After that, he is discovered by Kopel who catches him making love in the office to his co-worker Mademoiselle Bertrand. Despite that, he keeps his job, spends time with his son, recovered his relationship with Santini and Cheers up Belone and lives happily ever after.

The film shows in a comedy exaggerated political correctness and the panic it can engender as it is bigotry. In a liberal country such as France it is clearly a parody of the correct reaction in front of a common thing such as homosexuality.  The theme is shown with humor which gives the film a lot advantages instead of showing a common dramatic film of a homosexual no acepted in the society. Because of this movie, Daniel Auteuil (Pignon) was named Best Actor at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

This film isn´t directly related with our affair, homophobia in Russia. Instead of showing the non aceptation, what happens in Russia with the LGBT community it shows the over aceptation which a lot of times brings different treat to homosexual people which is also a bad reaction. We should take into account that they are normal, and forget the all prejudges that were made in our society.