‘Marguerite' strangely wry, moving

There’s a line in “Marguerite” - a strangely moving story of a wealthy heiress whose passion to sing opera is matched only by her profound tone-deafness - that put me in mind, ever so briefly, of a corny old joke. When Marguerite (Catherine Frot) is rendered temporarily mute by a malady of the vocal cords, her husband (André Marcon) turns to the doctor and asks, “Will she ever sing again?”

Now, if this movie were interested only in going for the easy laugh - and, to its credit, it isn’t - that doctor would have replied, as in the joke, “I don’t see why not.” To which the husband would have said, after a suitable pause for comedic effect: “That’s funny. Because she never could before!”

The actual dialogue doesn’t bear repeating, if only to avoid spoilers. But it does run counter to expectation, like the rest of this off-kilter French film, based loosely on the life of talentless song thrush Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944). Although there are moments of real humor, mainly having to with Marguerite’s painfully obvious inability to carry a tune, the movie is less funny ha-ha than it is poignantly, perplexingly wry. If we’re invited to laugh at Marguerite from time to time, we’re also given the opportunity to understand her, or to at least care enough to try.

That’s the far more daunting task. How is it that Marguerite can be so clueless about her own ineptitude? In the end, the movie gives voice not just to Marguerite’s deficiencies as a singer but also to emotional frailties that are too human and familiar.

What’s most unexpected is how skillfully director Xavier Giannoli guides us through a transformation. In the beginning of the film, it’s hard to empathize with Marguerite, who may be clueless, but is not dumb. We feel more for her husband, who has been driven into the arms of a mistress by his wife’s absurd ambitions.

But as the tale progresses, we grow more and more fond of Marguerite. It is actually the mistress who gives us insight into the character, when she points out how the singer’s stubborn pursuit of the spotlight may be motivated by a desire to be fully seen (and heard) by her husband.

In the end, “Marguerite” isn’t a comedy so much as a love story. True love, it seems, isn’t just blind; it must be deaf, too.