Landing in Paris with dreams of publishing his poems and hardly a cent in his pocket, Lucien (Benjamin Voisin) meets Etienne (Vincent Lacoste) who works in a publishing house of a small newspaper.  Lucien enters the world of journalism and discovers all the riches that can be had by people in power looking to buy the press.  Armed with his wit and a quill, the young man quickly makes a name for himself, but as he continues to rise and the relationships he formed begin to fall away, Lucien will find himself on the other end of the deal as people seek to destroy his image and will pay a handsome fee to see it done. 

Directed and adapted by Xavier Giannoli from a series of novels by Honoré de Balzac, Lost Illusions is a swirling costume drama full of romance, jealousy, lust, lies, and ambition.  With source material originally published in the 1830s and 40s, it is a bit unsettling at how timeless the story remains, not just on the emotional level but in the business of press and publicity, too.  In that way, however, the film is able to easily connect with modern audiences and it serves, as it did in its initial run, as a cautionary fable with an eternal moral not to undermine one’s own integrity. 

Voisin leads the film and from the first frames of this memory, he wins the hearts and compassion of the audience with his wide-eyed innocence and handsome naïveté.  He needs this purely physical charm, especially in the first half of the film, as his actions are all predetermined and guided by an omnipresent narrator.  Voiceover, as done here, can often be grating as it becomes shorthand for the screenwriter and the cast to not have to put in the work, but that is not the case with Lost Illusions.  Rather, the voiceover helps to keep audiences cued into everything that is happening as the film has a lot of ground to cover in addition to taking place in elegantly dressed locations.  Without it, we would still understand the gist of the story and Lucien’s tragic arc, but with it, we get a much fuller idea of the world of the film, the dark underbelly of the journalism industry, and most importantly insight into Lucien’s thoughts. 

In the second half of the 149-minute film, Lucien begins to be a more active participant in the narrative now that he has made a few contacts in the publishing industry, and a few friendly foes, as well.  He is no longer just the new kid on the block, and he is beginning to write his own fate.  While ambition may have only been part of the reason Lucien found himself in Paris – the other being caught in an affair with the married Louise de Bargeton (Cécile de France) – the young man is a poet at heart, and his dreams of being an accomplished and published author continue to grow as Nathan (Xavier Dolan) continues to find the favor of one of the city’s top names in publication, Dauriat (Gérard Depardieu).  The jealousy eventually gives way to understanding – and an unexplored notion of desire between the two – as Lucien turns his back on Etienne as part of a publication deal, and in what may be the only honest article of the young man’s career, he heaps his praises upon Nathan’s newest novel. 

The fallout makes the moral of the story a little unclean.  On one hand, Lost Illusions sounds like a story about valuing and honoring the bonds of friendship and loyalty to those who have shown loyalty to you, but if Lucien was to continue working with Etienne, his defamatory review of Nathan’s work would not only be false in concept but written from a false mindset.  The script combats this by ensuring that all of the characters are deeply flawed beings.  Lucien, while the protagonist of the story in need of a title, is far from a beacon of grace; he lies, cheats, and steals to get his way with only his own gratification as a guiding principle for his actions.  It also helps that Lucien’s demise is ultimately orchestrated by himself, and while he is just the latest victim in an already corrupt system, we feel that connection to him because Voisin, even when Lucien is at the height of his powers, never plays the character as too cocky or arrogant that we turn our backs on him. 

The other benefit of this section of the film, even with its length, is how enjoyable all the antics are.  Giannoli not only breathes life into what could have been a stuffy, monolithic period drama but also forces the act of writing into a communal – and riotous – affair.  So often movies about writing find the character slaving away in isolation, scrawling over parchment in the light of a dying candle, but Giannoli brings what is often portrayed as a necessary chore for a tortured soul and makes it center stage as a party game.  In his first assignment, Lucien sits across from Coralie (Salomé Dewaels), the star of the play, and he pines for her openly as the cast, crew, and other writing staff look on and drink and laugh as he scribbles away.  The camera only has eyes for this budding romance, but that it is shared in such an open and communal setting is incredibly refreshing. 

The same energy is present throughout the entire film, and it is what makes Lost Illusions so captivating.  The arc of the story was time-tested even when de Balzac was putting his own quill to paper, but the film does not feel like a relic.  Christophe Beaucarne’s camera is constantly in movement, but it never feels dizzying.  Rather, it catches us in the same tailwinds that are propelling Lucien forward on his rise to fame and tragic fall.  The film closes, then, where we came in with Lucien alone in a field recalling his dreams and desires, and despite all that he lost, he seems at peace.  It may not be what Lucien wanted at the start of the film, or what we as an audience wanted for Lucien, but when all is said and done it is what is best for him.  Lost Illusions captures the ebb and flow of fame and with Voisin at the center of almost every frame, it is impossible not to fall under his spell and get caught in the frenzy of a young man poised to surpass his station and become someone great, if only for a moment.