an offbeat and original comedy, with a delightful cast

Cannes Festival obliges, we could not criticize Christian Monnier’s first feature film, It turns in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, released on May 25. But this catch-up session is worth the trip, as the film goes off the beaten track. This funny tragicomedy around cinema people reveals Céline Mauge in a leading role, joined by Philippe Rebbot, Jules Sitruk, Adèle Lebon and in the background Philippe Bouchitey, Claire Nadeau, Valérie Mairesse and Dominique Pinon. A cheeky comedy.

Famous actress, Céline travels to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon to film with renowned director Milan Zodowski. Arriving there, she only finds a sound engineer and a stage manager, the director entrenched in his cabin, refusing to see anyone. Céline finds herself stuck in a suspended shoot, alone with herself, grappling with an increasingly absurd situation.

Christian Monnier takes advantage of the island he films in a splendid way. Céline Mauge, her interpreter, recalls the forgotten Marie-Hélène Breillat of the 1970s. In all shots, her expressiveness accurately translates surprise and then disarray, in the midst of a local population disconnected from the world.

Very funny in its situational comedy, the film plunges us into the drama at a precise pace. The actors are in the front line, with dialogues that contribute to the iconoclastic tone of the film. Surrealism and the absurd invite each other, a very British tone that breaks with the canons of French comedy.

The title does not serve the film, yet a nugget. Taunting the vision of the megalomaniac and smug artist, stardom and working conditions, the target is not limited to the world of cinema but aims at human relationships in the broad sense. From humor to drama, It turns in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon is uplifting and refreshing.

Gender : Drama
Director: Christian Monnier
Actors: Céline Mauge, Philippe Rebbot, Jules Sitruk, Adele Lebon, Philippe Bouchitey, Claire Nadeau, Valérie Mairesse, Dominique Pinon
Country : France / Canada
Duration : 1h35
Exit : May 25, 2022
Distributer : Destiny Movies