Third filming of same story ***SPOILERS

SPOILERS



Director Eduard Cortes and lead actor Jose Coronado have done great work in 'La vida de nadie' ('Nobody's Life'). But the same theme was committed to film no less than three times over two years (2001-2002).

The original was director Laurent Cantet's excellent French offering called 'L'emploi du temps' ('Time Out'), with the terrific Aurelien Recoing in the leading role. It was released in 2001, a year before both 'La vida de nadie' and the French film 'L'Adversaire' ('The Adversary').

All three films are based (with variations) on the astonishing life of Jean-Claude Romand, who pretended to be a doctor working for the World Health Organization in Geneva. Like the protagonist in the two others films, he wasted his days doing little of anything, lying to absolutely everyone, for an unbelievable 18 years.


***SPOILERS


Nicole Garcia's deeply disturbing 'L'Adversaire,' with the superb Daniel Auteuil in the lead role, is a more straightforward and accurate depiction of Romand's story. He went on a murderous rampage (in 1993) when he was finally exposed as a fraud, and is still in a French prison. The case was a sensation in Europe.

Director Cortes concedes in the extras of my rented DVD that 'La vida de nadie' owes its origins to Romand. It's easy to understand why Cortes and other directors/writers would be seduced by the Romand story. It's irresistable and it's true; the term 'you couldn't make this stuff up' comes to mind.