“Masterstroke” Scores 4.2/5: The Best Film of Melvil Poupaud & François Ozon!

Melvil Poupaud is featured in “Stronger Than the Devil,” a Franco-Belgian comedic thriller directed by Graham Guit.

He plays Valentin, a lost and broke man who reunites with his son Joseph (Harpo Guit) after a twenty-year absence, dragging him and his wife Alice (Marine Vacth) into complete turmoil.

His highest-rated film is…

After receiving two nominations for Most Promising Actor and one for Best Supporting Actor, Melvil Poupaud was nominated for the César Award for Best Actor in 2020. He earned this nomination for his role in “By the Grace of God,” a film by François Ozon released in 2018. This film marked their third collaboration following “Time to Leave” (2005) and “Hideaway” (2010). The movie won the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2019.

In “By the Grace of God,” Poupaud plays one of the lead roles as a victim leading a legal battle to acknowledge the sexual abuses committed by a pedophile priest. The plot is directly inspired by the Preynat and Barbarin cases, two sexual abuse scandals that shook the Catholic Church in France deeply.

With over 5800 ratings and nearly 4900 reviews, “By the Grace of God” scores a 4.2 out of 5 on AlloCiné, making it the top-rated film in the actor’s career.

Audience Reviews

Mat niro (5/5): “François Ozon truly creates a masterpiece here by denouncing pedophilia in the French Catholic Church. He explores the sexual assaults committed by Father Preynat and holds nothing back. To portray these children damaged by their past, he finds just the right actors with Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet, and especially Swann Arlaud, who is once again heartbreaking. The reactions of the victims’ relatives are captivatingly depicted, between the unspoken and the supportive. From all this, we remember the suffering of the children now grown and the well-documented narrative of a necessary film where François Ozon reaches the peak of his craft. Wonderful despite the seriousness of the subject!“

Ptiloudemarseille (5/5): “An astounding and impressive film on such a serious subject. Melvil Poupaud is simply incredible, but all the other actors also deserve praise.”

Mazou31 (5/5): “A film, or rather a file, perfectly executed, without heavy sentimentality, without bias, except for that which one must feel in the face of the abhorrence of the facts and especially the cowardly hypocrisy of the clergy. A factual and sober film but essentially powerful in showing the suffering and destruction of the victims, as well as the damage inflicted on their relatives (spouses, parents, children, friends). A lesson in courage from the victims, a painful question for the parents – except for a few disgusting fundamentalists –, a realistic depiction of the despicable cowardice of the Catholic hierarchy. A film perfectly performed, both by renowned and lesser-known actors. A strong, moving film, unforgettable, fulfilling the social role that makes cinema powerful.“

PaulGe G (5/5): “The meticulousness of the direction and the sublime acting make this film, which will undoubtedly be controversial but will be a milestone in French cinema. Told without hatred and without bias, except to show the machinations of silence and its devastation. From fundamentalism to denial, from stupidity to ignorance. F. Ozon delivers a masterstroke, a punch, a sublime, important, useful, vital film.“

Isabelle E.C. (5/5): “Delicate, balanced, and impartial, without any caricature, well-constructed, the perfect film. The actors and actresses are excellent. The various aspects of this case and the liberation of speech unfold like a baton pass among the three main heroes, like a loop. It’s moving and human, accurate in familial and social relations, dissected clearly with finesse, and an essential questioning of life and the duty to act for what is right. The best film I’ve seen in a long time.“

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