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What if you faked being a war hero so hard you became one?
TMDB
69
IMDb
71
Rotten Tomatoes
67
Audience Score
77
Google
79
Watch(FR)

A Self-Made Hero (1996)

wry French satireidentity grifterpost-war delusion

Overview

ComedyDramaWar

Set in France at the end of World War II Albert Dehousse finds out his father wasn't a war hero and his mother is a collaborator.

Flag of FRFRFrench
Content warning
self-inventionhistorical amnesiathe performance of heroismcollaboration and complicity

Standout Aspects

Acting

Kassovitz's slippery charm makes you root for a fraud.

Writing

Screenplay bites into French myth-making like a baguette with teeth.

Direction

Audiard's debut feature already shows his ruthless humanism.

Best for:Solo: When you want to feel smug about catching every irony.·Streaming: Late night with wine and existential dread.·Rewatch: To catch how Albert's lies become his truth.
Heads up:Emotional: Wartime trauma and parental betrayal, handled with bitter wit.
Jacques Audiard

Director

Jacques Audiard

ReleasedMay 15, 1996
Runtime1h 47m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonemixed
Feelmedium
France 3 Cinéma
M6 Films

Top Cast

Mathieu Kassovitz

Mathieu Kassovitz

Albert Dehousse

Anouk Grinberg

Anouk Grinberg

Servane

Sandrine Kiberlain

Sandrine Kiberlain

Yvette

Albert Dupontel

Albert Dupontel

Dionnet

Jean-Louis Trintignant

Jean-Louis Trintignant

Albert Dehousse (old)

Nadia Barentin

Nadia Barentin

Madame Louvier / Madame Revuz / The General's Wife

Bernard Bloch

Bernard Bloch

Ernst

François Chattot

François Chattot

Louvier

Philippe Duclos

Philippe Duclos

Caron

Danièle Lebrun

Danièle Lebrun

Madame Dehousse

Wilfred Benaïche

Wilfred Benaïche

Henry Nervoix

François Berléand

François Berléand

Monsieur Jo

Philippe Bérodot

Philippe Bérodot

Leguen

Ask about A Self-Made Hero

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

The film savages France's 'resistancialist' myth—the national delusion that most French were secretly Resistance fighters.

Trivia

Kassovitz had just directed La Haine; Audiard cast him partly because he wanted that same volatile intelligence contained, not explosive.

Gallery

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