Layering memories: Frank Chiche’s Je vous ai compris (2012)

Abstract

This article discusses Frank Chiche’s 2012 film Je vous ai compris and sheds light on the way rotoscoping complicates memorial discourses on the Algerian War of Independence. I argue that the superposition of different media and the changing allegiances of the film’s characters unsettle binary understandings of the conflict and challenge generic expectations. As the first ever BD-movie, it suggests that historical remembrance is akin to a constantly changing sculpture, defined not only by the memorial constraints of characters, but also by the perspectives of its viewers. Through an analysis of the genres and media, the construction of characters, and the description of memory as layered, I show that Je vous ai compris offers a sophisticated representation of a memorial quagmire that continues to inspire historians and artists alike.