There are films that we admire because they renew the cinematographic language with genius. And there are others who, without revolutionizing the 7th art, find a place in our hearts. The Chamber of Wonders falls into the latter category. Lisa Azuelos signs a deeply humane feature film. A modern fable with a heroine whose “winding life, filled with failures and scars”.
Thelma (terrific Alexandra Lamy) is a single mother who raises Louis alone and works in a warehouse. The day her son falls into a coma after a skateboarding accident, Thelma will lose her reason for living. In her son’s room, she discovers his diary illustrated with manga. She also finds her list of “10 things to do before the end of the world… which may happen faster than expected”. From then on, she sets off on an adventure around the world to make her son’s dreams come true, one by one. And maybe wake his son from a coma by making his wishes come true. These are diverse: having his skateboard signed by a manga illustrator who lives reclusive in Tokyo, meeting his father whom he never knew, swimming with whales in the sea.
Director Lisa Azuelos is an ode to kindness, a modern tale of resilience. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Julien Sandrel, the film is made in a fairly classic way, even a little conventional, but with great sensitivity. In the role of this courageous, stubborn and endearing mother, Alexandra Lamy is perfect! The actress from Un Guy, Une Fille en France excels as much in comedy as in drama and fantasy.
Of course, we are far from a masterpiece, but sometimes, cinema also serves to do useful work by offering stories that make us believe in human goodness and solidarity. With the help of her mother (Muriel Robin) and a young neighbor (Xavier Lacaille), Thelma, out of maternal love, will keep her head above water. And conquer your fears by discovering “that no adult ambition can make you happier than an adolescent carpe diem.”