- Dominique Besnehard, A nos amours (To Our Loves), France, 1983. Returning to aid realisateur Maurice Pialat, after their bitter row during Passe ton bac d’abord… in 1978, Dominique Besnehard set about locating the heroine’s violent brother. The film was written by Pialat’s lover, Arlette Langmann, based on her life and her brother: none other than the #1 French producer-director Claude Berri… who also made his mark with films about his own childhood and adolescence. (How French can you get). Despite making snide, anti-gay slurs about Besenhard really hunting among young actors for a new lover, Pialat saw all the final selections. Berroyer, Patrick Bruel, Jacques Gamblin, Vincent Lindon, Robin Renucci, Jacques Villeret – all slapping poor Sandrine Bonnaire several times in their tests. And Pialat then gave the role to… Besnehard! He’d started as actor and various directors he’d worked with told him to go for it. Next day, Pialat typically declared: “Hmm, not sure if it’s a good idea… [Pause] OK, just don’t be be too gay. Then again, Berri is a bit homo!”
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