LES CONVOYEURS ATTENDENT
THE CARRIERS ARE WAITING |
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Director:
Benoît Mariage
Screenplay: Benoît Mariage, Emmanuelle Bada, Jean-Luc Seigle.
Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde, Morgane Simon, Jean-François Devigne,
Bouli Lanners, Philippe Grand'Henry,
Awards: Best First Film, Montréal World Film Festival (1999);
Best Actor (Poelvoorde), Chicago International Film Festival (1999).
Running time: 94'
Year of production: 1999
Rating: Not rated
Gauge: 35mm (B & W)
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn
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“Shot
in luminous black and white, [the film] is mainly pitched in a mournful
deadpan, though first-time director Benoît Mariage, a former
photojournalist, is equally comfortable puncturing the glumness with
bursts of hilarity or pushing it to the brink of full-scale tragedy.”
Dennis Lim, The Village Voice. |
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Roger,
a press photographer in an uneventful factory town, longs to make
his mark in the world. When a local merchants’ group sponsors
a competition for setting world records, Roger drafts his reluctant
adolescent son, Michel (Devigne), to try for the most door-openings
in 24 hours. Erecting a door jamb in the back yard and hiring an American-style
trainer (Lanners), Roger feels assured of victory. After all, Felix
(Grand’Henry), his shy, simple neighbor, seems effortlessly to
win one trophy after another for his carrier pigeons. But Roger's
single-minded quest for success leads to unexpected, potentially tragic
results as he pushes his passive family toward a lifestyle for which
they seem constitutionally unfit. In the midst of the tumult Roger’s
young daughter, Luise, wise beyond her years, calmly observes the
action with a soulful sadness, a silent comment on her father’s
frantic striving. Mariage moves the story effortlessly between broad
comedy, family drama, and pensive lyricism, all the while keeping
his focus on the humanity of his characters and punctuating the various
scenes with stark, iconic black and white images.
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| PHOTO Courtesy
of Samuel Goldwyn |
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