Comme une image/Look at Me (2004)

The French husband-wife team of Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri are multi-talented as writers, actors and directors.  This is their latest co-written effort, starring both of them and directed by her -- and jolly good it is too, although I think I slightly preferred the earlier "Le Gout des Autres". That's probably because Bacri played an aspiring upstart in the earlier picture which was interesting, whilst here he plays an extremely self-centered famous writer.  The main conflict is between him and his plain and dumpy daughter by his first marriage who wants his love and attention.  She is a singer of some talent, but he is too involved with his writing, his business, his young second wife and daughter, and just about anything else that distracts him.  She believes with some justification that people only befriend her to get close to her father; Jaoui plays her singing coach and indeed does pay her extra attention to further her husband's career.  All of the characters would like the others to look at them for themselves alone, but all of the relationships seem to be based on self-interest.  A clever film but not really a totally satisfying one.