Directed by:
Samuel BenchetritScreenplay:
Samuel BenchetritCinematography:
Pierre AïmComposer:
Dimitri TikovoïCast:
Anna Mouglalis, Edouard Baer, Jean Rochefort, Laurent Terzieff, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Venantino Venantini, Roger Dumas, Alain Bashung, Bouli Lanners (more)Plots(1)
An amateur armed robber whose attractive victim is herself starting out in the armed robbery game. Two crooks who kidnap a teenager so suicidal she begs them to kill her - her father has no intention of paying the ransom anyway. A singer, abandoned by the muse, who steals the latest compositions of a more successful colleague. And finally... Four pensioners who abandon the safety of retirement and return to the joyful thrills of the criminal life. Four sets of characters, their fates shaped more by mishap and chance than their own desires. Four interlinked stories, all taking place in Paris, all connected by a very particular cafe. A place through which everyone passes but nobody stays. A place rich in the bittersweet memories of our characters' pasts, and a place where - for some - the future is born. (Wild Bunch Distribution)
(more)Reviews (1)
An extraordinarily sweet tribute to the American independent scene, which is reminiscent of Tarantino's magnum opus with its opening scene set in a roadside restaurant - after all, Tarantino's face as a legend of this part of cinema also appears on the poster of that establishment. However, it reminds one much more of Jim Jarmusch; one could say that if a person didn't know it was a French film by a European director, they would immediately classify it as belonging to Jarmusch's black-and-white cinematography. Four stories supplemented with an appendix in the form of a continuation of the first episode are not about major criminals and crimes that fill the media, but rather about people who (already) only play at being a part of a gallery. It is poetic, funny, and playful, plays out at an unhurried pace, and with actors who seem to enjoy themselves as much as the audience. It is a little melancholic, nostalgic, and moody. It is definitely not a crime film in the true sense of the word, and those who approach it as a typical genre film will be disappointed. For me, it is an autorial film where the chemistry between the pairs of actors works excellently. After all, the strange romance between the waitress and the failed robber is played by a real-life couple. Overall impression: 85%.
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