Vijay and I – quaint comedy with a quiet charm

(CS) In Samsa's latest co-production with Belgian director Sam Garbarski, a weary children's television actor is mistakenly pronounced dead, giving him the chance to re-invest his life. But he cannot let the past go.

Instead of a clean break, Will transforms himself into Indian alter-ego Vijay, to find out what his colleagues, friends and family really think about him and while revenge is initially in the cards, he comes to find that maybe Vijay is the better Will.

It is no coincidence that the film's main character, played charmingly by Moritz Bleibtreu, is called Wilhelm “Will” Wilder. Indeed, the film's style echoes the light 1950s comedies of namesake director Billy Wilder.

While director Sam Garbarski said ahead of the Avant-Première last Friday that he could never copy or imitate Wilder, he added that the director's works were among the first he saw at the cinema as a child.

A tribute to a bygone era in cinema

For Bleibtreu, the film is “a tribute” to a different era in cinema, which offered exaggerated gestures and a suspension of reality, including costumes and disguises, without ever losing sight of what he calls an “emotional reality.”

There is no crass humour, no stunts, apart from a bit of slapstick here and there, no shock elements – Vijay and I could even be called old-fashioned, but in a good way. It is a quaint, quiet comedy with good performances by Bleibtreu and Patricia Arquette as the confused wife, who finds herself strangely drawn to another man, while she also feels she should be grieving a husband she had fallen out of love with somewhere along the way.

Much of the comedy is delivered by Danny Pudi, known in the US for his role as Abed Nadir in television series Community. As Will's best friend he helps him transform into alter-ego Vijay, a task that was not easy for Bleibtreu.

The crew worked on several different costumes, and hair and beard styles before finding the right fit. “You have to feel that this person is credible,” the actor said. Indeed, the result is an eloquent, educated, well-spoken, charming man, which is why Bleibtreu said he does not fear any negative reactions about the ethnic cross-dressing in the film.

Family feeling for ensemble cast

Still, the film's subtle humour and general charm do not hide some weaknesses in the script. Especially Will's daughter Lily is not very well developed, caught somewhere in between being a part of the story and just an extra.

Overall, the small ensemble cast work well together, with producer Jani Thiltges saying that there was a “sense of family” on set, helped by the fact that this is the fourth co-production of Samsa Film and Garbarski.

Garbarski could not have imagined producing Vijay and I without Samsa, he said, with Bleibtreu, who previously starred in WWII drama and Samsa co-production My Best Enemy, also singing Luxembourg's praises.

“I'm always happy when I'm here,” he said.

Vijay and I opens in Luxembourg on September 18. The film is screened in English, and a few sentences of Punjabi, with German and French subtitles.