A couple confronted with the hostility of the American West, a comedy based on a painting by Egon Schiele, a closed door at customs… The cinema selection of Figaro.
Till the end of the world – To have
Western by Viggo Mortensen, 2h09
The American West of the 1860s is a land of adventure and romance. Holger Olsen (Viggo Mortensen), an immigrant of Danish origin, seduces Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps), a somewhat fierce Quebecer. An isolated wooden hut in an arid valley becomes their love nest. Olsen decided to enlist when the Civil War broke out, hoping to return whole with his soldier’s pay. Vivienne remains alone in a hostile environment. A world of men, populated by characters who are so many archetypes. The corrupt mayor. The omnipotent landowner and his son who is good for nothing except spreading terror. She will pay the price for her independence. A melancholic veil covers the flashbacks which trace the thread of a story of love and death.
Till the end of the world is not a stupidly feminist film. Vivienne is a free and strong woman confronted with male violence. Vicky Krieps finds here her most beautiful role since the one which revealed her, in Phantom Thread , by Paul Thomas Anderson. Mortensen has already proven that the cowboy outfit (hat, horse and rifle) suits him well. Mortensen takes the western to his territory. Or rather in his own way, a mixture of gentleness and revolt. Olsen’s return from the Civil War heralds the time for revenge. It doesn’t necessarily arrive where we expect it. He has the features of a child. It is overwhelming. ES
Read alsoOur review of At the End of the World: Sentimental Cowboy
The stolen painting – To have
A comedy by Pascal Bonitzer, 1h31
It’s a real. They can’t believe it. This masterpiece by Egon Schiele had disappeared since 1939. We found it at the home of a chemist worker in Mulhouse, hung on hideous wallpaper, in a charmless pavilion. The auctioneer (Alex Lutz) can’t believe his eyes. It’s the deal of the century. The miraculous painting is estimated at 8 million euros. It will reach much larger sums.
Pascal Bonitzer is in good shape. It is inspired by a true story, the discovery in the early 2000s in the suburbs of Mulhouse of a painting by Egon Schiele looted by the Nazis. But Bonitzer invents everything else with a freedom and fantasy that is never overplayed. His film is sharp, elegant, funny and documented – around twenty interviews with auctioneers, gallery owners, collectors and antique dealers served as material for the screenplay. The pace will not weaken. The comedy prevails, often light, sometimes serious, with the Shoah and the spoliation of Jewish property in the background. Family is once again at the heart of the plot. If we put this Stolen painting at auction, hands wouldn’t stop going up in the room. Bonitzer once, Bonitzer twice, Bonitzer three times? Awarded. The buyer will not have to regret his action. IN
Read alsoThe Stolen Painting: Great Art
Borderline – To have
A thriller by Juan Sebastián Vásquez and Alejandro Rojas, 1h17
From the first images of Borderline, the effervescence and excitement of Diego and Elena wins over the viewer. The two lovebirds leave Barcelona to settle in the United States. For Diego (Alberto Ammann) and Elena (Bruna Cusi), the flight goes off without a hitch. But, once they arrived at the New York airport, they were stopped by the border police. Then it’s time for the interrogation in a closed room where the authorities kindly but firmly ask them to turn off and put away the cell phones. The airport is gradually transforming into a sort of purgatory that does not speak its name.
Directors Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez make Borderline a suffocating closed door. For the members of this American customs police, each individual is an unknowing culprit, even a putative terrorist. The American authorities question a loving couple to test their limits. The film’s dialogues are tight. The tension is growing. This 77-minute film, short, concise, gets to the point until its abrupt finale which leaves the viewer gasping. OD
Read alsoOur Border Line review: welcome to Absurdistan!
A matter of principle – To have
A political thriller by Antoine Raimbault, 1h35
Tobacco is seriously harmful to health. Antoine Raimbault, for his part, does not run out of steam. It was necessary for the director toAn intimate conviction (2019) to seize the “Dalli Gate”, a complex affair of corruption, conflicts of interest and false accusations involving both the highest European authorities, a Health Commissioner dismissed in the greatest opacity, tobacco lobbies and Olaf (European Anti-Fraud Office), considered the European FBI. Without forgetting, like a dog in a game of bowling, José Bové, a major player in this decidedly astonishing story. By deciding to carry out a counter-investigation, pushed by the inconsistencies and gray areas of the official version, the MEP and peasant unionist from Larzac will shake the walls of Parliament.
This story could have been the subject of a documentary investigation but Antoine Raimbault took it to make a fascinating fiction served by powerful dialogues, between the political-judicial thriller and the comedy. The observation drawn up remains edifying, that of an all-powerful tobacco industry which pulls the strings, through lobbying. A few weeks before the European elections, it is better to vote than to let yourself be fooled. V.B.
Read alsoOur review of A Matter of Principle: Bouli Lanners is a hit
A little something extra – We can see
A comedy by Artus, 1h39
What an idea to park in a disabled space when you’re going to rob a jewelry store. Two nickel-plated feet from the burglary, father and son, found nothing better to do. Obviously, their vehicle is impounded. Their escape turns into disaster. It doesn’t take long for the police sirens to sound. Cornered, Paulo (Artus) and his gruff father “La Fraise” (Clovis Cornillac) decide to take refuge in the coach of a holiday camp for the disabled, ready to set off for the pleasant pastures of an Auvergne camp. En route, bad company! Paulo, who wants to pass himself off as mentally retarded, is quickly unmasked by his peers. By playing the sincerity card, he nevertheless finds himself accepted by this warm group of vacationers who have all “a little something extra”.
Artus’ stated objective was simple, to put the able-bodied and the disabled on the same level. The bet paid off. The eleven apprentice actors present in the image are astonishingly natural, funny and spontaneity. His film implicitly evokes the fear of difference and would like to reverse the rejection of the disabled by a society that does not really know how to talk to them. Despite its few blunders, this pretty, funny and warm summer chronicle hits the nail on the head and carries its message of tolerance and acceptance of difference without any sentimentality. OD
Read alsoOur review of A little thing more: endearing and joyful praise of difference
