Recently I’ve discovered the animated feature film „Le Magasin des Suicides” [2012, directed by Patrice Leconte], adaptation of the novel of Jean Teulé – „Le Magasin des suicides”, Julliard, 2007. With this film, we can say that animation have been touched, too, by the worldwide economic crises. Jean Teulé and Patrice Leconte present us a deadly location: The Suicide Shop, full of attractive offers, from poisons and rusty blades to hanging ropes, exotic weapons and many others. The shop is opened till 8 PM or „in case of death”, the owners assuring us that their suicides are guaranteed: „Nos suicides sont garantis. Mort ou remboursé” (Our suicides are guaranteed. Dead or reimbursed!).
The shop is the family business of the Tuvaches’: Madame Lucrèce and Mister Mishima, proud owners of two depressed children: Vincent and Marilyn. The author of the book assures us that the names are carefully chosen: Mishima comes from the poet Yukio Mishima, Vincent from the painter Vincent van Gogh, and Marilyn from the actress Marilyn Monroe, a suicidal trio. Despite of the dreary family and the business created, Alan, the third child is born. The little one – the life in the flesh and the shame of the family – is about to change everything.
The Tuvaches’ attempts to indispose him towards life and convince him that is better to see the half empty glass were unsuccessful. Instead, Alan will try to animate them.
If I told you about the names of the Tuvache family members, let me tell you the story of “Alan”, as Teulé writes it: the name come from Alan Turing, „the Englishman whose homosexuality was a problem for justice” and was considered „the father of computer science”. Turing’s story has a deadly ending, of course: it’s said that one day he dipped an apple in cyanide, put it on a table, painted it and ate it (just like Snow White) – that’s why Apple’s logo is a bitten apple. So, what’s the deal with Turing and little Alan? It seems that, the day when his was born, the Tuvaches’ created the Alan Turing Suicide Kit, which comprised a canvas, 2 paint brushes, oil colors and the poisoned apple. The buyers had to promise to donate the created painting to The Suicide Shop.
Madame Lucrèce thought that „with his optimism [Alan], he can bloom the desert”
In the city of the damned, public suicide was prohibited, so every time someone did it in a public space, police will come and give him a fine. Although, what’s the connection between suicides and pancakes? No, it’s not about poisoned pancakes. It’s all about Alan and his power to change the dark world they live in. I won’t tell you the whole story. Instead I’m letting you to discover the charm of a black comedy.
Te movie is a black comedy, with musical inserts, sprinkled with juicy details, which transpose you in that specific world. On one hand, the movie is dominated by Alan, happy and colorful, humming and smiling all the time, although sometimes the action is really fast. On the other hand, reading the book you succed to understand better the emotional world of the Tuvaches’, sick and tired of all the suicides. As the film couldn’t be a perfect reflection of the book, there were moments when I needed an extra explanation or maybe adding one or two more scenes from the book, which visually could have been a plus.
