Albert Dehousse (played by Mathieu Kassovitz) is a protagonist in A Self-Made Hero.
Albert is the central figure, a provincial man who longs for a heroic life but is excluded from wartime service. After leaving Yvette, he reinvents himself in Paris, adopts a false Resistance identity, enters official circles through bluff and memory, and eventually becomes a lieutenant-colonel before confessing his fraud. Servane (played by Anouk Grinberg) appears in A Self-Made Hero.
Servane is connected to an officer and first encounters Albert at a social event, where she shows attraction toward him. Later posted to Baden-Baden, she begins a relationship with Albert, learns that his heroic biography is fabricated, and nevertheless becomes his wife, leading to his later conviction for bigamy. Yvette (played by Sandrine Kiberlain) appears in A Self-Made Hero.
Yvette is Albert's local wife from northern France and the daughter of Caron. Albert marries her before abandoning his family for Paris after the liberation. She later tracks him down after his imprisonment and forms a friendship with Servane, linking his former domestic life to his constructed identity. Dionnet (played by Albert Dupontel) appears in A Self-Made Hero.
Dionnet is a homosexual Free French fighter who takes Albert under his protection in postwar Paris. He helps him find lodging, encourages him to believe that anyone can become a Resistance fighter, and leaves for Germany after falling in love with an American soldier, leaving Albert a note that guides his transformation. Madame Dehousse (played by Danièle Lebrun) appears in A Self-Made Hero.
Madame Dehousse is Albert's mother, who preserves the story that her husband died heroically in the First World War. Albert later discovers that his father actually died from cirrhosis, while Madame Dehousse is exposed as a collaborator and persecuted by the Resistance, destroying the heroic family image on which Albert grew up. Louvier (played by François Chattot) appears in A Self-Made Hero.
Louvier is part of the family who rents Albert a room near the Army School. Albert studies and manipulates the household, persuading the family that he was a lieutenant in the Free French army. This domestic setting becomes an important early platform for the false military identity he later presents to veterans and officials. Caron (played by Philippe Duclos) appears in A Self-Made Hero.
Caron is Yvette's father and the head of a local Resistance network. Albert discovers this hidden role after the liberation, at the same time that he learns the truth about his own family history and his mother's collaboration. The revelation devastates Albert and contributes directly to his decision to leave Yvette and go to Paris.
A Self-Made Hero (1996) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
Albert Dehousse
(played by Mathieu Kassovitz) — protagonist
Albert is the central figure, a provincial man who longs for a heroic life but is excluded from wartime service. After leaving Yvette, he reinvents himself in Paris, adopts a false Resistance identity...
Servane
(played by Anouk Grinberg) — supporting
Servane is connected to an officer and first encounters Albert at a social event, where she shows attraction toward him. Later posted to Baden-Baden, she begins a relationship with Albert, learns that...
Yvette
(played by Sandrine Kiberlain) — supporting
Yvette is Albert's local wife from northern France and the daughter of Caron. Albert marries her before abandoning his family for Paris after the liberation. She later tracks him down after his impris...
Dionnet
(played by Albert Dupontel) — supporting
Dionnet is a homosexual Free French fighter who takes Albert under his protection in postwar Paris. He helps him find lodging, encourages him to believe that anyone can become a Resistance fighter, an...
Madame Dehousse
(played by Danièle Lebrun) — supporting
Madame Dehousse is Albert's mother, who preserves the story that her husband died heroically in the First World War. Albert later discovers that his father actually died from cirrhosis, while Madame D...
Louvier
(played by François Chattot) — supporting
Louvier is part of the family who rents Albert a room near the Army School. Albert studies and manipulates the household, persuading the family that he was a lieutenant in the Free French army. This d...
Caron
(played by Philippe Duclos) — supporting
Caron is Yvette's father and the head of a local Resistance network. Albert discovers this hidden role after the liberation, at the same time that he learns the truth about his own family history and...
Canonical Relationships
Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.
Albert Dehousse → Dionnet
(Professional Protégé)
In Paris, Captain Dionnet takes Albert under his wing and helps him find a place to stay.
Albert Dehousse → Caron
(Family Son-In-Law)
Albert marries Yvette Caron, making him connected to her father, Caron.
Albert Dehousse → Yvette
(Romantic Husband)
Albert marries Yvette Caron, a local girl.
Albert Dehousse → Madame Dehousse
(Family Son)
Albert grows up with his mother, Madame Dehousse, who claims that his father died heroically in the First World War.
Albert Dehousse → Servane
(Romantic Lover)
Albert meets Servane at a social event, later encounters her in Baden-Baden, and begins a relationship with her.
Story Dynamics
Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.
Albert Dehousse → Louvier
(Social Lodger)
Albert takes a room near the Army School with the Louvier family.
Yvette → Servane
(Social Friend)
After tracking Albert down, Yvette and Servane become friends.
Story Analysis
A frustrated man constructs a heroic identity from lies, memory, and historical confusion, then confronts the moral cost of becoming his own legend.
Plot Progression
A Hero Without a War
Paris Reinvents the Man
The Manufactured Veteran
Love Tests the Fiction
The Cost of Becoming a Hero
Directed by Jacques Audiard
A Self-Made Hero (1996) · 6.9/10 · comedy, drama, war
