‘Felix’ Seeks a Father and Finds More

Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau’s “Adventures of Felix” is an odyssey of self-discovery of much charm, humor and admirable subtlety. It follows a young man (Sami Bouajila) hitchhiking from Dieppe, France, to Marseilles where he intends to seek out the father he never knew. With grace characteristic of French filmmakers, Ducastel and Martineau take Felix’s journey as a point of departure for a larger consideration of the meaning of family.

They suggest that family can be a matter of loving rather than blood relationships. Within the arc of Felix’s travels the filmmakers also confront issues of racism, homophobia and the inescapability of mortality. They do so with such understated skill and an assured sense of proportion that these serious matters define rather than overwhelm what is a buoyant, amusing and affirmative film. It sparkles with winning portrayals, especially from Bouajila, who carries the film with ease. In “Adventures of Felix,” which premiered at the recent Outfest, gayness is a matter of perspective rather than theme.

Felix is a carefree young man of Arab--or possibly part-Arab--ancestry in a stable, loving relationship with Daniel (Pierre-Loup Rajot), a schoolteacher with whom he shares a pleasant apartment in the port city of Dieppe. Felix has just been laid off from his job as a bartender on a ferry boat. He’s not sorry about losing his job, but before he seeks another, he wants to fulfill his need to meet the father who abandoned him and his mother.

As he commences his trip he begins to realize that his quest for his father is part of a greater longing for relatives. Hence, the filmmakers announce each of his key encounters accordingly: “Little Brother,” “Grandmother,” “Cousin,” “Sister,” etc. These designations, however, occur to Felix in retrospect.

Arriving in Rouen, Felix witnesses some men bashing another Arab, and he ends up getting beaten himself, an incident that will have reverberations for him in facing his fears. In the meantime, Felix’s irrepressible spirits start to rise when he meets a 17-year-old student (Charly Sergue) he treats like a younger brother. Later he crosses paths with a vivacious and perceptive older woman (Patachou) who offers him hospitality and a grandmother’s embracing love. Ducastel and Martineau have written a wonderful, sizable part for Patachou, the legendary internationally renowned cabaret singer of decades past. Her hair is now white, but she remains vital and astringent, her star presence undimmed. Indeed, in recent years Patachou has appeared memorably in one film after another.

There’s an early scene in a clinic waiting room where Felix is sitting with a man and a woman comparing the strengths and components of their medications in a matter-of-fact manner. It becomes clear that Felix is HIV-positive without further comment. There is a feeling that runs throughout the film that he has understandably developed a sense of mortality even though he remains in good health. With “Adventures of Felix,” Ducastel and Martineau have followed up their musical debut film, “Jeanne and the Perfect Guy,” with another winner.

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Unrated. Times guidelines: nudity, adult themes and situations.

‘Adventures of Felix’

Sami Bouajila: Felix

Patachou: Mathilde

Ariane Ascaride: Isabelle

Pierre-Loup Rajot: Daniel

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A Winstar Cinema presentation of a co-production of Arte France Cinema and Pyramide Productions in association with Gimages 2 with the participation of Canal Plus and the Centre National de la Cinematographie. Writers-directors Olivier Ducastel & Jacques Martineau. Producer Philippe Martin, Les Films Pelleas. Cinematographer Matthieu Poirot-Delpech. Editor Sabine Mamou. Music: Blossom Dearie songs. Costumes Juliette Chanaud. Production designer Louis Soubrier. In French, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.

In limited release.