Toto le Héros
Encyclopedia
Toto le Héros is a 1991
Belgian
film
(coproduced with France
and Germany
) by Belgian film director
and screenwriter
Jaco Van Dormael
.
about how events might have turned out differently. It is not always possible to tell the difference between embellished or manufactured memories and fantasies, as Thomas is a very unreliable narrator
, but some scenes (such as the narrative thread that features Toto as a secret agent
) are definitely fantasized.
Thomas firmly believes his life to have been "stolen" from him by Alfred Kant, born at the same time as Thomas, who Thomas believes was inadvertently switched with himself as a baby (characteristically, the film remains ambiguous as to whether this substitution ever actually happened, with Thomas' only substantiation being his apparent vivid memory of the day he was born). Thomas' jealousy of Alfred has overshadowed all his life, often with tragic consequences for his loved ones, and he is plotting revenge. Throughout most of the film, his intended revenge takes the shape of a plot to kill Alfred, but in the end Thomas finds a more creative and surprising way to "take back" his life.
flashbacks and dream sequences arranged according to a complicated, child-like logic in which events at different times are seen to mirror or echo earlier or later events, sometimes obviously and sometimes so subtly that it can only be discerned after repeated viewing.
A characteristic example occurs in the scene where Thomas and Alfred are switched: While the fire breaks out in the maternity ward, the television set coincidentally also shows a fire breaking out (an apparent echo in real time). Later in the film, the fire breaking out on the television turns out to be the same fire in which Thomas' sister Alice is accidentally killed (an echo across time).
The complex temporal structure of the film has been compared with other films that use nonlinear and parallel treatments of time, such as Run Lola Run
, but Toto le Héros is exceptional in the degree to which this technique is carried, with scenes at the same time flashing back and flashing forward to other scenes, and sometimes even with the same scene apparently incorporating events from different timelines or different points on the same timeline.
has yet to announce any plans to release the film onto DVD in North America. It is available on DVD in the UK and mainland Europe.
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
(coproduced with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) by Belgian film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Jaco Van Dormael
Jaco Van Dormael
Jaco Van Dormael is a Belgian film director, screenwriter and playwright. His complex and critically acclaimed films are especially noted for their respectful and sympathetic portrayal of people with mental and physical disabilities.- Biography :In the 1980s, he became interested in filmmaking and...
.
Plot
Ostensibly set in the near future, the film tells the life story of an elderly man named Thomas Van Hazebrouck (who has dubbed himself Toto, after a childhood fantasy), looking back on his ordinary, apparently uneventful life in a complex mosaic of flashbacks, interspersed with fantasiesDream sequence
A dream sequence is a technique used in storytelling, particularly in television and film, to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. The interlude may consist of a flashback, a flashforward, a fantasy, a vision, a dream, or some other element. Commonly, dream sequences appear in many...
about how events might have turned out differently. It is not always possible to tell the difference between embellished or manufactured memories and fantasies, as Thomas is a very unreliable narrator
Unreliable narrator
An unreliable narrator is a narrator, whether in literature, film, or theatre, whose credibility has been seriously compromised. The term was coined in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in The Rhetoric of Fiction. This narrative mode is one that can be developed by an author for a number of reasons, usually...
, but some scenes (such as the narrative thread that features Toto as a secret agent
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
) are definitely fantasized.
Thomas firmly believes his life to have been "stolen" from him by Alfred Kant, born at the same time as Thomas, who Thomas believes was inadvertently switched with himself as a baby (characteristically, the film remains ambiguous as to whether this substitution ever actually happened, with Thomas' only substantiation being his apparent vivid memory of the day he was born). Thomas' jealousy of Alfred has overshadowed all his life, often with tragic consequences for his loved ones, and he is plotting revenge. Throughout most of the film, his intended revenge takes the shape of a plot to kill Alfred, but in the end Thomas finds a more creative and surprising way to "take back" his life.
Style
The film's structure is unusual especially in its complex treatment of time, with multithreadedNarrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
flashbacks and dream sequences arranged according to a complicated, child-like logic in which events at different times are seen to mirror or echo earlier or later events, sometimes obviously and sometimes so subtly that it can only be discerned after repeated viewing.
A characteristic example occurs in the scene where Thomas and Alfred are switched: While the fire breaks out in the maternity ward, the television set coincidentally also shows a fire breaking out (an apparent echo in real time). Later in the film, the fire breaking out on the television turns out to be the same fire in which Thomas' sister Alice is accidentally killed (an echo across time).
The complex temporal structure of the film has been compared with other films that use nonlinear and parallel treatments of time, such as Run Lola Run
Run Lola Run
Run Lola Run is a 1998 German crime thriller film written and directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Franka Potente as Lola and Moritz Bleibtreu as Manni. The story follows a woman who needs to obtain 100,000 German marks in 20 minutes to save her boyfriend's life...
, but Toto le Héros is exceptional in the degree to which this technique is carried, with scenes at the same time flashing back and flashing forward to other scenes, and sometimes even with the same scene apparently incorporating events from different timelines or different points on the same timeline.
DVD release
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
has yet to announce any plans to release the film onto DVD in North America. It is available on DVD in the UK and mainland Europe.
Cast
- Michel BouquetMichel BouquetMichel Bouquet is a French film actor. He has appeared in over 90 films since 1947. He was born in Paris, France.-Selected filmography:* La petite chambre * Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars...
as Thomas (old man) - Jo De Backer as Thomas (adult)
- Thomas Godet as Thomas (child)
- Gisela UhlenGisela UhlenGisela Uhlen was a German film actress and occasional screen writer.-Biography:Uhlen was born Gisela Friedlinde Schreck in Leipzig, Germany as fourth child of Luise Frieda and distillery owner and former opera singer Augustin Schreck.At the Leipziger Konservatorium she enrolled in a modern dance...
as Evelyne (old woman) - Mireille PerrierMireille PerrierMireille Perrier is a French actress. Her first starring role was in Leos Carax's Boy Meets Girl in 1983. Since then, Perrier has had major roles in other films such as Un monde sans pitié, Netchaïev est de retour, Toto le Héros, À vendre, Le Comptoir, Un dérangement considérable and...
as Evelyne (young woman) - Sandrine BlanckeSandrine BlanckeSandrine Blancke is an actress. She has started her acting career at the age of 13 in the 1991 film Toto le héros.-Selected filmography:* Toto le héros * The Return of Casanova...
as Alice - Peter Böhlke as Alfred (old man)
- Didier Ferney as Alfred (adult)
- Hugo Harold Harrison as Alfred (child)
- Fabienne Loriaux as Thomas' Mother
- Klaus Schindler as Thomas' Father
- Pascal DuquennePascal DuquennePascal Duquenne is a Belgian actor. He shared the prize for a male role in 1996 Cannes Film Festival for his performance as Georges in the movie The Eighth Day, with Daniel Auteuil, who played Harry. He currently lives in Brussels...
as Celestin (adult) - Karim Moussati as Celestin (child)
- Didier De Neck as Mr. Kant
- Christine Smeysters as Mrs. Kant