Yaicha

I watched La Vie en Rose last night. It was more than just a foreign film for me, since I have liked Edith Piaf for a very long time. Maybe it had something to do with studying French, I’m not sure, but I found her songs compelling. Maybe I understood just enough French to grasp the powerful emotion Piaf conveyed, or maybe that came through despite my imperfect command of the language.

My peers who learned of my affection for Piaf’s music invariably gave me sidelong glances and failed to understand the appeal. I came by my interest honestly, as my mother had Edith Piaf recordings and when I listened to them they spoke to me in several ways.

So, when I learned of the movie about her life, I wanted to see it. It was rather depressing, actually. I only knew her music, not what a trainwreck her life had been. I now have a deeper understanding of her genius and respect for all that she overcame to achieve her success, but there’s also sadness. Hers is not a particularly uplifting story, even though her signature song is “Je ne regrete rien” (“I have no regrets”).

It’s an admirable take on life, to live such a hard life and not have any regrets. I’m just not sure I could say the same if I’d been through what she endured.