a strange film, between pure magic and furtive bromance

Critique Drama comedy by Virgil Vernier, with Zakaria Bouti, Mina Gajovic, Victoire Song (France, 1h17). In theaters December 4 ★★★★☆

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Christmas in Monaco is a paradox in the form of a godsend for a languid chronicler of the caliber of Virgil Vernier (“Sophia Antipolis”): the principality is dripping with glittering decorations and yet it is empty of most of its residents. Affine, a young luxury escort with a busy schedule, agrees to a truce in this urban semi-desert whose nooks and crannies he explores, a fascinating Antonioian maze where opulence is perceived as a mirage under a bell, a fantastical horizon frozen in the distance. This does not prevent the wandering of the young man from warming up in contact with a wealthy 12-year-old girl, who is occasionally orphaned by the circumstances of New Year's Eve. Their silent complicity irrigates the film with a strange and fascinating fluid, between pure enchantment and furtive bromance.