It seems that although we’re saying Bye Bye Morons, it is a redemption for our three protagonists in different ways – a glimpse of a different life or a change in one’s ways, revealing that life needn’t end the way they think it will.
What do you get when you cross a terminally ill hairdresser, a suicidal computer programmer, and a blind public servant? A lot of black comedy and the setup for Albert Dupontel’s Bye Bye, Morons. From the outset, it’s evident that time is not on Virginie Efira’s Suze’s side or ours as she searches for the abandoned child she birthed when she was 15. Characters dash out of scenes before they’re finished, much to the comedic chagrin of their scene partners, and we follow our triptych at a breakneck pace.
It’s played very fast and loose, but you quickly find yourself on board with the hyper-speed developments. This feeling of constantly losing time to what’s important is the key to understanding these morons, as each of them has already lost themselves to time in some way. Suze is terminally ill, Dupontel’s Mr Cuchas’ life’s work is being shifted to upstart younglings, and Nicolas Marié’s Blin was blinded after a police intervention gone awry.
It’s an incredibly dark comedy, with many subject matters often played lightly and for laughs—attempted suicide, gentrification, police brutality, surveillance states. All of these are swirled into this whimsically macabre comedy of errors, enabling you to see the funny side of these often-depressing topics. Despite the dark absurdity that Dupontel plays up, there are moments where everything slows, allowing for an emotional poignancy for each of the trio during their quest for Suze’s babe.
There’s an endearing sweetness to the trio, with the playful rivalry between Blin and Cuchas for Suze’s affection, as well as Suze’s gradual reliance on the pair for assistance and, eventually, comfort. The only downside to this is the growing romance that seems to blossom out of nowhere between Cuchas and Suze – it feels far more like they’re mismatched friends than gradual lovers. Considering Dupontel, both wrote and starred as the character who smooches Virginie Efira, perhaps this was an intentional move to get a kiss with a crush.
The line between poignant sweetness and absurdity is walked throughout the film before Dupontel decides to pledge final allegiance to one of the two sides. It’s clear that, although this has the attitude of a zany black comedy, there is a sweet sentiment beneath it all – Suze’s quest involves changing the lives of many, and often it does so for the better. It seems that although we’re saying Bye Bye, Morons, it is a redemption for the three of them in different ways – a glimpse at a different life or a change in one’s ways to reveal that life needn’t end the way they think it will.
While Dupontel may not make this avenue available to everyone, it’s clear that there’s a positive undercurrent. While it doesn’t move you to tears or leave you in hysterics, there is still something to be said for the fast-paced and bluntly transparent nature of Dupontel’s world that charms you and draws you in, if only briefly.
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