The “moi” in this lush, leisurely stroll through art history is Emile Zola (Guillaume Canet), a lifelong friend and sometime romantic rival of the painter Paul Cézanne (Guillaume Gallienne). A ribboning timeline weaves together flashbacks to school days with riotous nights of debauchery and an ultimate reversal in social standing. The film wears its luxuriant production design with the same satisfaction as the newly wealthy Zola does his brocade dressing gown. It’s a large canvas to cover, the parallel lives of these complicated, talented men, and the thin, hurried brushstrokes at times suggest a film that might have benefited from a tighter focus.
