The complex of white savior put in the spotlight (yuck) in the problematic Tenor

I don’t know if I’ve already told you, but I was a backing vocalist for Véronique Sanson, and even for Eddy Mitchell, because in real life I’m 148 years old.

You will observe that being the backing singer of the stars has unfortunately given me no career in showbiz, no doubt because I have a rattling voice and the stage talent of a semi-cooked salmon.

Failing to be Lady Gaga, I therefore live my life as an artist by proxy in front of my television set, as Jean-Jacques Goldman, another star of the EHPAD, would say. Suffice to say that no film on singing and dancing therefore escapes my radar.

So, despite common sense, I went to see Tenorthe new film by Claude Zidi Jr., which quickly turned out to be a film like we’ve already seen 200,000, and I’m hardly exaggerating.

Tenor, a comedy by Claude Zidi Jr.

As a reminder, Claude Zidi Jr. is the son of Claude Zidi, an iconic director of 90s comedy, who notably shaped Les Ripoux and other Les Sous-doués, which I personally love, like anyone over the age of 140.

After The Deguns in 2018, Claude Zidi Junior, who follows in his father’s footsteps, released his second comedy this week: it’s called Tenorand it’s the very simple story of Antoine (played by MB14, a singer who comes out of The Voice), a delivery man at Sushi Shop, who becomes the little protege of an opera singing teacher at the Paris Opera.

However, being an opera singer was not really what Antoine was destined for, firstly because Antoine is from the suburbs, which means, in the collective imagination of French cinema, that he necessarily speaks verlan and has a culture G close to 0, then because Antoine, what he would like is to become a rapper. SILENCE. Report that in the suburbs, young people like rap, coughed.

Antoine and Mrs. Loyseau, his singing teacher who defends him against all odds, and especially against the prot prot whites who are legion between the walls of the Opéra Garnier, end up forming a friendship, and overcoming their mutual prejudices. . Lhlala is it really cute? Well no, it’s mostly Manichean.

The eternal white savior complex

Already, does this pitch remind you of something? But if, make an effort, you know: the story of a maxi-privileged white person who believes in the potential of a poor little girl or a poor little suburban guy from working-class neighborhoods, generally racialized? Does it ring a bell ?

However, it is the synopsis of really MANY TOO many French films which, not content with conveying stereotypes about «  city ​​youth “, have the nerve to do it under the guise of progressivism.

Take The Brio, by Yvan Attal The melodyby Rachid Hami or more recently Haute Coutureby Sylvie Ohayon: everyone tells us the story of the little savage of the bitumen who drinks in the words of his good white master.

Besides, since I quote you Haute CoutureI looked for you a small Google comment on the film and I found this one, which I particularly like:

“Very beautiful film, carried by the magnificent acting of Nathalie Baye, who is perfect. Faced with a stunning, odious and touching little beurette! »

Wait, excuse me, I threw up in my mouth.

The examples I cited above are ultimately the filmic personification of the “white savior” or white savior complex. The very one that consists, for a white person, of putting himself on the stage getting out of trouble a racialized person who, in general, has not asked him for anything. An imposed rescue, more to show off than out of altruism.

A very widespread complex on Instagram and dating applications in particular, where influencers from all walks of life post themselves, for example, in photos in African villages, surrounded by black children. Cringe, you said?

I came back to life in my mouth, and it’s not even because I ate spicy ravioli soup at 4:00.

Tenor, not so harmless!

Short, Tenor may look like a harmless comedy, even downright benevolent, but behind its tolerant film air, it helps to widen class inequalities and reinforce the clichés around young people from working-class neighborhoods. Never forget : cinema is political. A movie is never just a movie.

In short, I’ll spare you the scenes where Michèle Laroque drinks wine while looking lasciviously out of the window of her bourgeois apartment, and those where Antoine shines on rap scenes, so much their enunciation makes you want to roll your exasperated eyes.

At a time when we (and by we I mean us, at Madmoizelle) dream of a nuanced society, where everyone has the right to develop their plurality, we unfortunately still have the right to resolutely binary comedies, which do not serve just sticking labels.

Come on, we say that in 2023, we stop with classism and racism? Come on, I’m going to register for the casting of the new season of The Star Ac’ or even miss Francetake !

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