Say Cheese: A Taste of Swiss Humor in “Bonjour Switzerland”
Bonjour Switzerland (2023)
Directed by Peter Luisi
Starring Beat Schlatter, Vincent Kucholl, Catherine Pagani, and Silvia Jost
As viewed at the 50th Annual Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)
I love a good dad joke. They make me chuckle. And who doesn’t like a good chuckle? Peter Luisi’s SIFF submission, Bonjour Switzerland, feels like a feature-length dad joke. The only problem is what gets lost in the sauce of translation.
When a referendum forces Switzerland to change from a nation with four distinct cultural regions into a monolingual mash-up, a German-speaking police officer gets embroiled in the fallout.
This film is a light-hearted take on what would ultimately be catastrophic. And light-hearted comedies get a bad rap. They don’t have raunchy jokes. They don’t push taboos. Their tone isn’t edgy. And comedies of this kind can be a bit cheesy. But hey! If we’re using Gruyère, let’s do some fondue! Am I right?
And that’s kinda the vibe of this film. The pacing is quick—which is nice—the premise is clever, and the plot takes us on a cute little adventure through some alpine political intrigue.
But was I missing a lot of the film’s humor? In the third act, for instance, two characters go undercover as a train conductor and a priest. I imagine this juxtaposition is charming for European audiences. But who in America rides a train? Not many. It’s the way most Europeans commute, which makes dealing with a conductor a daily occurrence. Seeing priests wearing habits in public is common too, especially in European villages. But in America, not so much. I’m only speaking for myself, but a lot of the comedy feels regional. This makes me assume American audiences might not catch on to the film’s subtleties. I probably didn’t, but I guess I don’t really know.
Switzerland is undoubtedly unique. Banks, pocket knives, neutrality, and Davos. I know there’s more, and I would love to visit one day. Having watched several YouTube travel guides, Switzerland looks edenic. Bonjour Switzerland gave me a little taste of that Swiss allure, and the story did make me chuckle. I would recommend this film to anyone who knows Switzerland, wants to know Switzerland, and enjoys a good dad joke. Which reminds me: What kind of cheese does the Pope like? Swiss cheese—it’s so holey.