Gainsbourg Biopic Set to Hit Theaters

A couple of years ago, 'La Vie en Rose' wowed audiences and critics alike with its chillingly human depiction of French singer Edith Piaf's tumultuous life. Next week, a new film will try to do the same, tackling the life of France's other beloved musical treasure: Serge Gainsbourg.

'Gainsbourg vie Heroique,' set to hit French theaters on January 20th, features little known actor Eric Elmosnino in the title role, with appearances from Laetitia Casta as Brigitte Bardot, and the late British actress Lucy Gordon, who appears as Jane Birkin. It's too early, of course, to get a read on how audiences will react to a big screen portrayal of the man who came to define French music and pop culture for more than 3 decades, but given Gainsbourg's immense popularity (even nearly 20 years after his death), it's guaranteed to be a popular happy hour conversation starter, at the very least.

Reuters reports however, audiences probably shouldn't expect the same kind of melodrama or tight narrative that suffused 'La Vie en Rose.' Many are describing director Joann Sfar's film as more of a "tale" than a biography, filled with fantastical scenes of Gainsbourg arguing with his invisible alter ego, and following a more meandering, non-linear narrative structure. That said, given the artist's chameleon-esque musical career, as well as his famously unbridled personal life, a more frenetically structured, less conventional cinematic form may be all the more appropriate.