Taken from the eponymous novel by Fabrice Humbert, the series “The world does not exist” has been available on Arte since September 19. Exit the Colorado of the book, director Erwan Le Duc makes an ideal adjustment for a mental thriller in an imaginary town with a local flavor made in France. A success.
A young girl is murdered in Guerches-sur-Isoire. The local star tennis player, Axel Challe, suspect number one, has vanished into thin air. Captivated by the portrait of this man plastered on the television screen, Adam Vollmann (Niels Schneider), web journalist for a daily newspaper, convinces his superior that he must abandon his keyboard to carry out a field investigation. He argues that he is from the area, that the residents will surrender to him more easily and that he will find the alleged criminal on the run, an old acquaintance.
The promise of a scoop helps, Adam is authorized to take up residence in Guerches. Very quickly, the improvised investigative journalist pen-pusher stalls. When tongues are loosened, the comments made seem incoherent. Worse, Adam is prey to visions. Ghosts from his past resurface and plunge him back into the trauma that pushed him to abandon this cursed place. The investigation, relegated to the background, is then supplanted by the real subject: school bullying and homophobia in deep France.
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Mysterious atmosphere and enigmatic characters
The days pass, the doubts pile up. A photo of the victim may be faked and witness statements may be manipulated. What if the inhabitants were actors who recited their text in an invented story, a reality that never existed? At the gates of madness, Adam, mired by his demons, loses his footing. If Erwan Le Duc is not David Lynch, the fact remains that the mysterious atmosphere supported by the music of Julie Roué, makes us think of the master of confusion, a feeling reinforced by a mishandled temporality and a parade of equally twisted characters as enigmatic.
The casting is the other asset of the series. Despite his undeniable talent, Niels Schneider is overshadowed by the supporting roles, notably a superb Anne Rotger, the victim’s creepy mother, dry, rough, who appears out of nowhere each time. We must also mention the wife of the main suspect who faces this tragedy with class, magnificent Maud Wyler, a regular of the filmmaker. Finally Julien Gaspar-Oliveri, the psychopath of the media library, is the most brilliant of all as a loner who spends his time filming nothing, emptiness, the quiet life that passes in the streets of Guerches day and night.
After making a name for himself in the cinema with “Perdrix” and “La fille de son père”, two feature films praised for their originality, Erwan Le Duc has lost none of his creativity by changing format. Having already dabbled in the series with panache by masterfully directing Léa Drucker as a disoriented diplomat in “Under Control”, he is now moving away from comedy, showing that he is capable of brilliantly shining in a more dramatic, cerebral register. and tormented.
Philippe Congiusti
“The world does not exist” by Erwan Le Duc, with Niels Schneider, Anne Rotger, Maud Wyler and Julien Gaspar-Oliveri. To be seen on Arte since September 19, 2024.
