Movie review - La Famille Belier (The Belier Family)

THIS light-hearted French film, which ends with an emotional punch, revolves around 16-year-old Paula (Louane Emera), the only one in her family not born deaf.
While her parents (Karin Viard and Francois Damiens) and brother rely on her around the farm and also ­to communicate with those around them, Paula has yet to live out her own dreams.
Then she joins the school choir and her extremely sarcastic choir master discovers her natural singing talent.
It's when Paula tries to choose between her own needs and the needs of her family that things turn comically messy.
The movie features some great French songs initially made popular by Michel Sardou.
It helps that the talented Emera sings beautifully.
She also really makes us root for Paula and relate to her.
The scene where Paula gets her period for the first time, and ends up getting embarrassed by her over-exuberant mother's antics and her ­father's paranoia, is downright hilarious.
The other main actors also stand out in their roles but in different ways.
Overall, this is a sweet story that you will enjoy thoroughly.
La Famille Belier is one of the films featured for the French Film Festival at selected GSC cinemas in the Klang Valley from May 12 to 29 and in Penang from June 2 to 12.