
This time, we definitely have a newer movie, not one that's a few weeks old or six years old. A brand new movie. Kind of. I guess technically it was at the Toronto Film Festival, but I didn't go to the Toronto Film Festival, I just had to watch it in the normal theaters like everyone else.
Chevalier. A biopic, mostly focusing on some of the early years, of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Did I know who he was before this? Kind of. Not enough to know anything other than the famous painting of him and the fact that he was a composer. And it's important to know that, while I've perused the Wikipedia page on him, I still don't know a lot about the real story of Bologne, so this review will not be judged based on accuracy and we'll be focusing mostly on the movie itself.
This movie does come with a content warning for racism, racial violence, and death.
With that said, let's dive in.
Briefly, and Without Spoilers
Chevalier follows the early years of Joseph Bologne (Kevin Harrison, Jr.), a musical and violin prodigy, gifted fencer, and black man in high society during the years before the French Revolution (1789). Despite many obstacles, Bologne makes his way up the social ladder, eventually earning the title of Chevalier, a rank of honor in the French court. He then sets his sights on becoming the head of the Paris Opera, and in his quest he finds love, heartbreak, and family.
Directed by Stephen Williams and written by Stefani Robinson, Chevalier tells a tale of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a groundbreaking artist and intellect, navigating a society that repeatedly makes it clear he isn't welcome.
Occupying In-Between Spaces (Spoilers Ahead!!)

Let's start by establishing that I am a white woman. There are probably some things that take place in this movie that I don't know to appreciate, but I'll do my best with what I know.
And what I was able to see and understand was really good. I thought the storyline and the dialog were excellent and I appreciated how much of the story followed Joseph's attempts to blend in to the community he wants to be part of. He occupies a very lonely in-between space in society, where he's not exactly accepted into the white communities his father forced him to be part of, but the amount of time he's spent away from black communities means he's not exactly akin to their customs either. Only in what he remembers from his childhood. And this also seems to manifest in some internalized racism, like when he scolds his mother for speaking her native language with the serving staff, as opposed to speaking French.
There were a lot of good moments that underlined the in-between space in society he lived in, like his discussion with Marie-Josephine (Samara Weaving) about the discriminating marriage laws, and the general disdain he seems to have for the culture his mother brings into his life when she returns. There's certainly a lot about his situation that he didn't choose, but then he leans into it. It isn't until he's denied the position of opera director that he seems to properly face the limitations society has placed on him because of his race.
And then, as the white community begins to turn away from him, he starts to lean into his black heritage. From the party he goes to with his mother to the transition from wigs to protective hair stylings, he's more readily welcomed by the black communities and seems to feel more at home with them. And all this figurative unmasking culminates in the emotional scene after he finds out the fate of his son. He's completely taken down his walls and can now express himself fully in front of someone who will love him unconditionally.
It's such a great exploration of the self and the journey of finding our place in the world, even through some of the most difficult obstacles. Honestly, I thought the story was fantastic.
Strong Performances and Good Times
I also thought the acting all around was incredible. Kevin Harrison, Jr. was excellent as Joseph and even the supporting cast, both big and small parts, did a great job. It really helped strengthen the already great story.

And I enjoyed all the other bits, like the costumes (I'm not a historical fashion expert so don't come for me if it wasn't great) and I liked the sets.
And I have to hand it to the actors who had to play instruments, they looked very convincing. I don't know if they have extensive training, but they at least got enough to pass as very good.
That was something else I really liked. That opening scene of Joseph challenging Mozart, you can hear the ways in which Joseph's music is very different from Mozart's. Mozart's cadenza is significantly more tonal, while Joseph's isn't afraid to play around with the scale a bit. I was trying to listen for that playfulness in the rest of the score, which I assume was mostly comprised of Bologne's real compositions, but I didn't hear it as much, which was a shame. I don't know his music well enough to know if they just didn't use those pieces or if the composer for the movie embellished a bit for the opening scene.
It's All About Joseph
Which brings me to critiques. Really, the only big critique I had was how much the side characters' storylines revolved around Joseph. Yes, this is a biopic about Joseph, so of course he's going to be important, but the other characters didn't really have a life outside of him. With maybe the exception of everything happening with the revolution, it just sort of felt like no character had any conflicts or wants outside of their relationship with the main character. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it would have made for more three-dimensional characters and, I think, a more interesting story.
Like with Marie-Josephine. The poor woman has to live with the man who murdered her son, but all we see is the final conversation she has with Joseph. Her story started so strong and just kind of fizzled out. It would have been nice to have had some proper closure.
If it's Your Thing, You're Gonna Like It
Now, I know not everyone likes biopics, but if you do, you're definitely going to like this one. Even if you don't like biopics, I'd recommend giving this one a try. It's an excellent story about a historical figure we should certainly know more about. Definitely worth the watch if you haven't seen it already.
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