“What is this granny?!”, released in 2019, is the second opus of a family and comic trilogy by Gabriel Julien-Laferrière. A choice of genre motivated by a very specific reason, linked to the past of the director…
An attachment to comedies following former experiences
What is this granny?! is none other than the fifth comedy directed by filmmaker Gabriel Julien-Laferrière, after the successes Neuilly his mother !, SMS, What is this family?! and Neuilly his mother, his mother!. A very high ratio in favor of humorous genre, very popular in France. The reason for this preference lies in its old career choicesand in particular in its collaborations.
Indeed, Gabriel Julien-Laferrière assisted great french directors. Leos Carax in The Lovers on the BridgeClaire Denis for Trouble Every DayNicole Garcia with A balcony on the sea or even Chantal Akerman during the filming ofA Couch in New York. Collaborations rather stemming from author cinema So. On the occasion of the release of What is this granny?!, iHe explained to the press how these works too dark in his eyes had taken him away from this cinema.
I love their cinema, the films are magnificent, but sometimes I left screenings of films on which I had worked for several months of my life, a little desperate, overwhelmed by their darkness. When I became a director, I swore to myself that I would only make films from which you come out happy, lighter, with a smile on your face, breathing life.
A filmmaker who works with adults and children alike
Despite his love for the works to which he contributed, Gabriel Julien-Laferrière ultimately chose the path of comedy. Since his first film as a director, he has swapped large figures for the little actors. Indeed, in his five comedies with the exception of SMSthe main protagonists are children or teenagers. What is this granny?! is no exception to the rule, being the continuation of What is this family?! and the previous opus What is this grandpa?!three films featuring a blended family with seven half-siblings. As Gabriel Julien-Laferrière explained in a interview with journalist Jacques Brachet :
Children are always the driving force in my films…
The themes of family and of the youth are thus two constants in his filmography. Through the humorous genre, the director manages to portray endearing and sometimes eccentric characters, as is Grandma Aurore, played by Chantal Ladesou. A cooperation between children and adults which works perfectly, as evidenced by the success of the film when it was released in cinemas, with nearly 1.2 million of spectators.
