Displaying items by tag: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi

LOVE SONGS FOR TOUGH GUYS/  Cette musique ne joue pour personne  

France/Belgium, 2021, 107 minutes, Colour.

François Damiens, Ramzy Bedia, Joey Starr, Bouli Lanners, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Raphaelle Doyle, Vincent Macaigne.

Directed by Samuel Bencherrit.

An unexpected experience. A strange blend of ordinary lives with music, poetry and theatre. A some veteran character actors in the cast.

The film is set in a port town, the French atmosphere, quite a wide range of characters, men and women, relationships, strained relationships, moments of violence, moments of reconciliation.

1. Title? The subtlety of the French? The directness of the British title?
2. The setting, the port town, the docks, homes, supermarket, theatre…?
3. The musical score, atmosphere, classics, popular songs, the songs for the play?
4. The screenplay, the humour, the seriousness, parody, violence, serious issues, stand over tactics, killings? And the contrast with the central characters, on the docks, their lives? And the influence of poetry, imagination, song, theatre?
5. Jeff at the centre of the action, at home, his relationship with his daughter, her surliness, at school, fellow students, romance, the birthday party? His neglected wife, 25 years? His infatuation with the woman at the checkout? At the group, the members reading their problems, the affirmation of the teacher, Jeff and his poem, the issue of the word Amaryllis, getting Neptune to deliver the poems, the woman not understanding them, Jeff and his desperation, discussions with the teacher, explaining the Alex and Ryan, the threat to the teacher if he failed? His continuing to compose, standing on the rocks, the plastic bag, the sea, the composition? The issue of the accountant and his wife, sending Jackie to get the money back?
6. Suzanne, her husband, Jackie arriving to get the money back, her calling her husband, the interchange, wanting the money, her ambitions for the play, Simone de Bauvoir on the television and her theories about women? The relationship with such? The clash with her husband, slapping, his death, hiding his body, Jackie returning, the continued contact, his reading the lines with her, the situation at the theatre, the actors performing South, their deaths, the actor rating, curtain close, his death? The invitation to Jackie? The rehearsals, the scene with each blowing the feather, Jackie’s response, the performance, success, the applause, Jeff and his applause?
7. Neptune, adopted by Jeff, his place in the household, doing Jeff’s bidding, the discussion about poems, his composition, going to meet the woman at the checkout, their discussion, the poem, her response? Approaching her, realising the truth? His anger with Neptune, the gangsters and the shootout, Neptune wounded? Jeff’s wife tending to him?
8. The wife, neglected, her not noticing, with her daughter, watching the television, 25 years, finding the poem in the rubbish, thinking it was for her, going to the hairdressers, helping with Neptune in the wound, Jeff’s realisation, asking her to close her eyes, to imagine and describe, her going over the marriage and their life, the reconciliation?
9. Poussin and Jesus, together, the discussions about art, the defined woman, the bag over her head, her denouncing as feminine? His reading, the dramatisation of the story of Eric Lamb, alone, going to the restaurant, the Indians and reincarnation, identifying him as their son, his finally accepting it and finding a place? Are the tough behaviour at the poetic? The place in the gang with Jeff?
10. The success of the play, Jeff present, but is going to the gang, the shootout, his confrontation with the wounded gangster? His sense of satisfaction?
11. The return to the sea, the strange experience for the audience, on the docks, life there, the violence, yet the opening to poetry, theatre and music?

CHIEN 51/ DOG 51

France, 2025, 100 minutes, Colour.

Gilles Lellouche, Adele Exarchopoulos, Louis Garrel, Romain Duris, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Artus, Fyodor Atkine.

Directed by Cedric Jimenez.

So much discussion about AI in recent years, not only in terms of access to social media but also to technological developments, changes in workplace and employment, rapidity of information and service.

And, so many movies taking up the theme, remembering Spielberg’s AI and his Minority Report and how developments have moved from there. Minority Report took the theme into the areas of crime, policing, justice. And, in recent years this has come to the fore as in the American movie, Mercy. This French film is very much in this vein.

Paris in the near future, divided into three zones, wealthy class, middle class, the poor. And, to keep order, an inventor has come up with a system of surveillance, policing, Administration of Justice. And the film opens with the inventor being pursued and killed in the streets.

Which means that this film is a combination of futuristic science-fiction and AI as well as a murder mystery and the investigation into the assassination of the inventor.

At the centre is a middle-aged detective, former addict, identity Chien 51/ Dog 51. skilled at his work but often personally unreliable. He is partnered with an intense investigator who has an interesting back story of her own, especially as coming from the poor zone and, on a TV program, Destiny, being chosen to leave her family and moved to the more prosperous zone 2.

Complicating the issue and bringing in the political implications, there is a government Minister who gives smooth speeches and intervenes behind the scenes. And there is a rebel group, denouncing the AI system, and they themselves the target of the system itself.

Audiences looking for a futuristic thriller will enjoy the investigations of the detectives, identifying the killer, the driver of the getaway car, the increasing relentlessness of the justice AI system and the final revelations which, of course, serve as the film’s warning against AI out of control, in itself, but then beyond human control.

An added value is the cast, Gilles Lellouche and Adele Exarchoipoulos as the two detectives and leading men, Romain Duris and as the minister and Louis Garell the lead rebel, along with a humane doctor under threat, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi.

Very French but also accessible to a wide audience.

1. The title, tags, identity bracelets, Zem, his police role, zone 3?
2. Paris of the future, the three zones, zone 1 exclusive, 2 affluent and comfortable, 3 poverty? The visuals of each zone? The musical score?
3. The AI theme, the development, police work, surveillance, footage, cameras and identification by eye, headquarters and surveillance information? Communication between police?
4. The interest in the AI theme, the creator and his being killed, the support of the government, the developments in their exercise? And the final disillusionment that AI was taking over, its own criteria for justice, the need for it to be destroyed?
5. Zem and his story, lack of sleep, late for work, discussions with the authorities, investigating the death of Kessel, the elite, interrogations, following clues? His being teamed with Saria? Initial resistance, the discussions, getting to know her, her problems in background, her links with the political authorities?
6. The film working as a police investigation, murder mystery? The car pursuit, the death of the driver, the passenger escaping, found dead under the bridge, the young gang taking the belongings, Zem and his threats, recovering them? The later explanation of his identity?
7. The picture of the resistance group, Breakwalls, Jon Mafrom, his appearance, his speeches, on the television screen, his following? The various members of the group, almost identical, revealing the truth, the one to sacrifice himself? The main Jon Mafrom and his contact with Zem, the information, supporting him? Reassurances about Saria?
8. The character of Zem, revelations about his addiction, Irina and her work as a doctor, his taking the young man, the clients and her kindness? Her being targeted because of her association with Zem? His coming to warn her, the escape, the threats, the capture?
9. Saria, her story, her mother, the TV program Destiny, young people being moved from zone 3 to zone 2, their joy, but the separation from their families, permitted family visits? Saria at her work, overcoming the past? The pressures of work, the association with Zem, the clues, the investigations, her learning more about him, the murder, her being attacked, the confrontation, her being shot, contact with Zem, his helping her, the surgery, survival? Her work on the autopsies, her friend, discovering the material from the autopsies? His death?
10. Her discussions with the Minister, his TV interviews, his praise of the system, the revelation of the truth, AI, taking control, the information, using the drones, the revelation about the death of the inventor?
11. Zem, saving Saria, his with the carriage, the attack and the young friend and his death? Zem wounded, the hospital, his dying? The final image?
12. The film as a murder mystery, a police detection drama, the future and AI, and the warnings about AI?