Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: Valérie Lemercier, Rialto Distribution.
This French biopic begins with a disclaimer. “This is inspired by the life of Céline Dion. It is, however, a work of fiction. As such, some characters, places and facts have been modified in keeping with the authors’ vision.”
Aline isn’t a movie about Céline Dion, apart from the fact that – well, it is – being inspired by the life, loves and legacy of the real-life singing sensation from Quebec, Canada.
Two-time César Award-winner Valérie Lemercier plays the protagonist, from the ages of five to 50, in a musical dramedy unreservedly influenced by Dion’s life.
Starring, written and directed by Valérie – the movie is also known as Aline: The Voice of Love – and has been described as “a tribute film and not a caricature film”. Aline is histrionic, but a wonderful accolade to a performer of stunning emotional intensity.
In the Dieu family, music reigns supreme. On 30 March 1968, Sylvette and Anglomard welcomed their 14th child: Aline. Nurtured by her parents, as she grows up, we discover her gift is a golden voice. It follows the growth of a gifted child to her early years being mentored by the producer who would one day also love her.
Aline is a gawky introvert thrust into fame after she signs with manager, Guy-Claude Kamar (Sylvain Marcel). The character is based on Dion’s own much-older producer-manager, René Angélil, whom she met as a pre-teen and eventually married. Lemercier lays a framework around that questionable pairing as Aline’s greatest aspiration in life.
Nothing in the world matters more than music, family and love for Aline Dieu. As she climbs from local phenomenon to bestselling recording artist to international superstar, she embarks on the two great romances of her life: one with the decades-older Guy-Claude and the other with her adoring audiences.
- Aline is screening in theatres.
