“It turns out that I am a very big fan of the writer Philippe Jaenada. I always look forward to his next book. Ten years ago, this ‘next book’ was called Sulak. I dove into the Bruno’s story, which I didn’t know at all. […]. Reading Sulak, it was hard not to imagine a film.” In the press kit, Mélanie Laurent returns to the genesis of Librehis latest feature film with Lucas Bravo in the lead role, available Friday November 1, 2024 on Prime Video. The one who became known internationally thanks to the role of Gabriel in Emily in Paris this time plays the role of Bruno Sulak, a gentleman burglar who only attacks supermarkets and jewelry stores. Without ever resorting to violence, despite the use of weapons and serflex to dissuade and neutralize witnesses, he always manages to carry out his operations without incident. But when you have the police on your tail (played here by Yvan Attal), it’s difficult to have happy days…
The true story of Bruno Sulak told in Libre
With Bruno Sulak, Lucas Bravo is tackling a slightly different register from the one he is now used to. He is a charismatic rebel, hungry for easy money, social justice and above all freedom. He imagines Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to give back to the poor. And since well-ordered charity begins with oneself… Mélanie Laurent transposes to the screen the life of a real robber named Bruno Sulak, known in particular for his quite incredible escapes and his encounters with the police. Died at the age of 29 in circumstances that are still murky to this day, his specialty, after deserting the Legion, was to rob supermarkets. He is then condemned numerous times, before escaping with ever more inventiveness. Once, he sawed the bars of his cell. Another time, accomplices came to free him while he was guarded by several gendarmes on a train. His latest escape attempt, however, doesn’t go so well. Despite all these criminal exploits and his escapades, Bruno Sulak is a little-known name, as the non-violent (and of course highly illegal) actions of the robber have not gone down in history. “However, he was public enemy number one, he was on all the news. We talked about him a lot at the time, but he’s not someone that history has remembered. We don’t remember the ‘nice guys’ ‘”confides Mélanie Laurent for the press kit. A parameter that is about to change thanks to this Prime Video film, at the crossroads of fiction, biopic and buddy movie.
Why should you watch Libreby Mélanie Laurent, on Prime Video?
Mélanie Laurent, who had already told the other side of the life of a bandit in Thieveswith Adèle Exarchopoulos and herself, this time mythologizes Sulak (and brings him into popular culture) in a work which depicts with a sustained rhythm and elaborate costumes the reality of the existence of this man who lived on the margins in the 80s. If we can criticize the resurgence of works of fiction dedicated to manipulators, serial killers and others MonstersMélanie Laurent achieves the feat of offering a film with a highly satisfying and sunny aesthetic, without glorifying the actions of this repeat offender. The feature film is distinguished by its realism, an effective script with no downtime, as well as a range of young actors who are quite convincing in their different roles. The young Léa Luce Busato, who is making her cinema debut, seduces with her pouting pout and her relaxed interpretation of the character of Annie, Bruno’s transfixed lover, having crossed the barrier of illegality to follow him. Through this atypical couple for morality, the director shows the all-consuming passion, the one that many of us dream of — minus the prison. And through the actions of Bruno and his accomplices, she takes a snapshot of the political situation of the time. A somewhat committed film, but above all very engaging, which can be watched without displeasure or guilt.
