Who You Think I Am (2019) - Your biggest rival is who you expect yourself to be in people's eyes

Juliette Binoche as Claire Millaud in Safy Nebbou’s “Who You Think I Am”

Juliette Binoche plays a 50-year-old divorced professor Claire Millaud, who creates a fake Facebook account to stalk her ex-lover Ludovic (Guillaume Gouix) but ends up falling for his photographer friend, Alex (François Civil). What starts out as a simple revenge plan spirals out of control as Claire gets trapped in her own web of lies, and Alex falls in love with her online persona too. But that’s not all. Director Safy Nebbou presents a twisted love story full of plot twists it keeps the audiences constantly guessing what is going to happen.

“Who You Think I Am” isn’t just a story of catfishing, but also an exploration of redemption through creation, be it Claire’s online persona to find what it means to be young again or her written manuscript to redeem herself from her actions. Even the origin of her online persona is a tale fuelled with desire, abandonment, and anger.

Needless to say, Binoche is the main star of the film, her brutally honest performance is simply mesmerizing, especially her eyes. There is something very special about her gaze and how it changes in this film, which really surprised me. From hesitant and uncertain to bold and open seduction; from worry to relief, to affection when Alex walks past her, so close that she is able to smell him. All these subtle changes are shown through her gaze. This, and the decision to film her in closeups give us an intimate look at a woman struggling with her insecurities after a failed marriage with a partner of 20 years. All this is echoed in one of the most touching lines of the film, which also reveals the main reason for Claire’s actions.

“I do not mind dying, but not to be abandoned.”

Behind this web of deceit Claire has spun lies a fragile heart, craving to be loved and cared for. Even if her actions are morally wrong, Binoche’s performance still manages to make us understand and empathise with her. “Who You Think I Am” is an incredibly layered film, starting with a simple catfishing incident, before delving deeper into Claire’s struggles and her insecurities as she realises that the person Alex loves is not her but her online persona, despite both being the same person. If two people are essentially the same person on the inside, but one is better looking than the other, who would people like?

Claire eventually comes to a conclusion, “There is no rival greater than one who does not exist.” And this rival that she cannot win, is who she wanted herself to look like in Alex’s eyes.

★★★★½ (4.5 stars out of 5)