Jacky in the Kingdom of Women

In the distant People's Republic of Bubunne, men have little to say. While women run the affairs of state and hold all the important offices, the veiled men must run the household and simply look good. Anyone who rebels against this is put on trial without a long trial. The 20-year-old Jacky (Vincent Lacoste) has long since resigned himself to his role in his country. There is no room for revolutionary thoughts anyway, as he thinks day and night only of the future dictator Bubunne XVII (Charlotte Gainsbourg), with whom Jacky is hopelessly in love. When he learns that her mother will be choosing a husband for her daughter at a grand ball, Jacky does everything he can to attend. But before he knows it, he's suddenly part of an underground movement fighting for men's rights in Bubunne. And so the love of his life may quickly become his bitterest enemy.

Jacky in the Kingdom of Women offers many very amusing ideas that reveal the potential for extremely biting satire. There are a few moments where director Raid Sattouf is able to fully realize this potential as well. In these scenes, the viewer can't help but laugh, as the humor is served with an incredibly bitter edge. Unfortunately, this is far too seldom the case. There's no question that Sattouf has succeeded in creating a very unconventional, original work in terms of atmosphere and visual language alone. However, the sometimes surprisingly flat jokes he has incorporated into his script ultimately prevent Jacky in the Kingdom of Women from achieving its full quality.

This is a real shame, especially in light of the accomplished finale. For the final shot is a bitterly wicked sideswipe at the mendacity of many a justice fanatic. That final minute, through one shot and one subsequent reaction, offers more social criticism than so many of the film's less subtle moments. Here, the script reveals a level of intelligence that is simply missing from too much of the dialogue and gags before. As funny as some ideas like the sacred horse one are at their core, you're left with a very unbalanced, rather disappointing overall picture in the end. What has to be credited to this comedy, though, is that this is a film you won't soon forget. Because there simply hasn't been such a story in this form before - and that has a corresponding effect. But if you're hoping for an all-around successful satire because of the good basic idea, you'll be bitterly disappointed. And therefore, only because of the originality and some really good moments, there is still a: worth seeing with deductions!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp