A film to discover this Wednesday at 10:50 p.m. on France 2.
After the series “In the Shadow”, which explored behind the scenes of the conquest of power, “Presidents” once again offers us a reflection on the French political landscape, but in a comedic tone. Drawing inspiration very freely from the destinies of Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, Anne Fontaine imagines their difficulty in giving up power.
Nicolas (aka Jean Dujardin) has difficulty coping with the end of his political life. He convinces François (Grégory Gadebois), also a former president, to team up with him for the presidential election…
You play a sort of alternative Nicolas Sarkozy, who resembles him while being different…
Yes, it’s both him and not him! This Sarkozy-Hollande tandem in the film is a bit like a hamster and a mouse inside a cage: either they eat each other or they run around together. I love this idea of lab experience brought back to politics!
Do you see a link between the path of these policies and that of the actors?
This need for recognition, to seduce, to succeed, to bounce back… Yes of course, there is a lot of histrionics in both cases! And then this desire to please… I noticed this in the ex-presidents I was able to meet: a sort of aura which seemed to precede them, as if they were still charged with their past splendor. They are very aware of this and also ask that they always be called “President”! It’s this contentment that is both touching and ridiculous that we had to play…
This article appeared in Le Télépro on 7/11/2024
