See You Up There - Characters & Cast

Initially driven by a desire to escape his family and the horrors of his injury, his motivation evolves into a quest for revenge against a society that has discarded him and the captain who ruined his life. He is also driven by a profound artistic need to create and express himself, even without a voice.

Édouard begins as a rebellious, talented artist from a wealthy family, estranged from his stern father. The war shatters him physically and mentally, leaving him disfigured and mute. Rather than succumb, he channels his despair into creating his masks, transforming his trauma into art. He becomes the mastermind of the memorial scam, an act of vengeance that is also his final, grand artistic statement. His journey is one of tragic defiance, culminating in a final act of liberation where he confronts his father and chooses his own exit.

His primary motivation is survival and a powerful sense of obligation to care for Édouard, the man who saved his life. He is driven by guilt and loyalty, even when it leads him down a criminal path. He also harbors a simple desire for a normal life and love, which seems perpetually out of reach.

Albert is an ordinary, timid accountant thrown into the extraordinary horror of war. Saved by Édouard, he is bound by a deep sense of debt and loyalty. He is the pragmatic, anxious counterpart to Édouard's flamboyant artistry, often acting as his caretaker and the grounded force in their scheme. Initially a passive victim of circumstance, he is drawn into the scam against his better judgment but eventually finds the courage to confront Pradelle and seek a life for himself, moving from a man haunted by the past to one who can finally look forward.

Pradelle is driven by pure greed, ambition, and a sense of aristocratic entitlement. He seeks to restore his family's fortune and climb the social ladder, viewing the war and its aftermath as nothing more than a series of business opportunities. He is completely devoid of honor or empathy.

Pradelle is an aristocrat and a ruthless, ambitious captain who shows no character development; he is corrupt from beginning to end. He starts the film by murdering his own men to trigger a pointless battle for glory. After the war, his villainy simply changes form. He marries into Édouard's wealthy family and launches a lucrative but disgusting business involving fraudulent burials of war dead. His arc is not one of change, but of escalating greed and amorality, leading to an inevitable downfall when his crimes are exposed.

His motivations are complex, rooted in societal expectation, pride, and a repressed love for his son. After Édouard's supposed death, he is driven by guilt and a desire to create a legacy, both for his son and for himself. He seeks to atone for his emotional neglect through grand, public gestures.

Marcel Péricourt is a powerful, cold patriarch who disapproves of his artistic son, Édouard. Believing Édouard to be dead, he is consumed by a belated and remorseful form of grief. His arc is one of thawing and regret. He attempts to honor his son's memory by commissioning a grand war memorial, unknowingly funding his son's escape. The final confrontation with the masked Édouard forces him to acknowledge his failings as a father, leading to a moment of tragic, silent reconciliation.