Mister Lonely 2008

A young man in Paris struggles to make ends meet as a Michael Jackson impersonator, performing in streets, public parks, tourist attractions, and trade shows. This immigrant, who grapples with not fully mastering the French language, often feels isolated and disconnected from those around him. During a performance at a nursing home, he encounters a stunning Marilyn Monroe impersonator, whose ethereal beauty captivates him. This chance meeting leads him to follow her to a commune nestled in the Scottish Highlands, where she lives with her husband, Charlie Chaplin, and their daughter, Shirley Temple.

At this commune, a gathering of impersonators living as their characters includes figures like the Pope, Elizabeth II, Madonna, and James Dean, who all engage with one another while remaining in character. Initially, life in this extraordinary community feels serene, but turmoil arises when their sheep become ill, leading to the heartbreak of having to cull them. Compounding the stress, there are undercurrents suggesting that Marilyn’s husband, Charlie Chaplin, may be abusive toward her. In hopes of attracting attention from the outside world, the group begins constructing a stage and performs for a small audience, only to be disheartened by the meager turnout. The atmosphere shifts tragically when they find the Marilyn Monroe impersonator has taken her own life in the woods.

Disillusioned, the Michael Jackson impersonator departs the commune and retreats to his former apartment in Paris. In a touching moment of solitude, he engages in a peculiar dialogue with a row of eggs adorned with drawn-on faces of the deceased impersonator, whispering to Marilyn Monroe in the hopes of finding the strength to chart his own path. Later, we see him in Paris, stripped of his makeup and character, walking through the streets where a public celebration is taking place.

Additionally, the film weaves in a subplot involving a convent in what appears to be a developing country. One of the nuns experiences a miraculous survival after falling from a plane during a mission to deliver food to local villages, realizing that true-hearted individuals are safeguarded by God. This revelation inspires the nuns to leap from planes in a demonstration of faith. Regrettably, the film concludes with a haunting scene where the lifeless bodies of the nuns, along with an airplane wreckage, are discovered washed ashore, casting a shadow over their well-intentioned acts of faith.