A Self made hero = Un Heros tres discret

At the end of World War II, Albert, a rather dim-witted French man, finds himself in the unenviable position of having contributed nothing to the war effort. In fact he actively resisted involvement in the French Resistance, despite the fact that his hometown was under the command of the Nazis, and his wife and father-in-law assisted English pilots. To amend matters Albert flees to Paris, where under the tutelage of a real fighter, he reinvents himself as a bone-fide Resistance member. Albert’s deceit brings him accolades, friends and even romance and he revels in his newfound glory. His deception however is in danger of exposure as his stature grows and his increasingly complex and bold lies unfurl. Using actual footage from the war years, “A self made hero” is a warm and funny film about one man’s self-delusion and determination to reinvent himself as the brave and admirable person he wishes he were. The film addresses issues of patriotism and post-war accusations that saw the persecution of many in France. A semi-documentary style is employed, displaying the point that histories are often determined after the fact. Mathieu Kassovitz (director of La Haine) displays a deft touch as the misguided Albert. In French with English subtitles.