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Three weeks after its release in theaters, The Count of Monte Cristo has just passed the 4 million admissions mark this weekend. A psychiatrist strongly recommends going to see it. Here’s why.
A new adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ work, “The Count of Monte Cristo” was written and directed by Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte. Released in theaters on June 28, it traces the life of Edmond Dantès, played by actor Pierre Niney.
A baroque reverie that lasts three hours
According to psychiatrist Xavier Pommereau, you absolutely have to go see the film, without delay.Do your business first, put down the popcorn, and let yourself be enchanted by this magnificent three-hour baroque reverie that absorbs and declines at will the emotions and great feelings that we, humans, have already felt from love to hate, from suffering to revenge, from anger to the calm after the storms…” writes the doctor.
Questioning the issue of forgiveness
As a reminder, “The Count of Monte Cristo” is based on a true story. The romantic work is structured around the theme of revenge, with injustice and the quest for freedom as a backdrop. The protagonist, Edmond Dantès, takes justice into his own hands, after being relegated to the margins of society, destroyed by an unjust justice system.
This is why the film also invites us to revisit and question our reactions to betrayal. Revenge, a central theme, is approached in a way that questions the notion of forgiveness. “This journey is made possible by the very accurate performance of the actors and actresses, and the film leads us to revisit and question – sequence by sequence – what our own reactions would be when faced with someone who has hurt us. The question of forgiveness is thus posed.” estimates Xavier Pommereau.
“For some, forgiveness is humanly impossible given the seriousness of the torture suffered. For others, it remains complex but possible if one is able to recognize and understand one’s own pain before imagining forgiving, if necessary with the help of a trusted person or a professional.” the psychiatrist rightly adds.
Freeing yourself from your inner demons
The work therefore allows us to reflect on freeing ourselves from this resentment, which poisons our inner peace.It is then a question of trying to free oneself from the weight of resentment (which is poison, the arsenic of the heart), with time, distance and new commitments. But in all cases, forgiveness does not mean forgetting or excusing the one who has deeply hurt, humiliated, discredited us. The ideal is to try to detach oneself from it to find inner peace and become “free” from all bad feelings…” concludes the doctor.
In addition to enjoying Pierre Niney’s remarkable acting, the film will allow you to ask yourself these existential questions – they may concern us, one day or another – and to begin to reflect.