We are in an HLM housing estate in Lorraine, and the film introduces us to ten-year-old Johnny, a young boy rather left to his own devices, especially since he is mainly interested in adult stories, such as the turbulent love life of his own mother, also young. But his daily life will change after his meeting with a young teacher who will believe in him and push him to open up more to others, to himself, and to the world around him, despite the obstacles linked to his condition. social and daily
Small type is signed Samuel Theis, actor and director who had already co-directed the very beautiful party girl in 2014, the story of a 60-year-old party trainer, working in cabarets, who found love again, a film which had won two prizes in the “Un certain regard” category at the Cannes Film Festival. Samuel Theis who himself grew up in Forbach, in Moselle, a bit like the hero of his new film.
And if the film works so well, and manages to touch us, even upset us, it is also largely thanks to the actors, Antoine Reinartz who plays the teacher, the revelation, Aliocha Reinert, 14 years old, amazing in the main role , and above all a cast of non-professionals
The other major release in French theaters since Wednesday is Goliath, by Frédéric Tellier, a film conceived as a thriller, which tells of an investigation into GMOs and pesticides. Patrick, played by Gilles Lellouche, is a Parisian lawyer specializing in environmental law, and his career will bring him into contact with two other characters, France, a militant worker, activist in an anti-pesticide NGO, played by Emmanuelle Bercot, and Mathias, a young brilliant man, lobbyist of his state for a powerful agrochemical company, who is camped by Pierre Niney.
Pierre Niney, very present in recent months at the cinema, who was this week the guest of Elodie Suigo on franceinfo, and for whom it was very important to participate in the project: “It’s a subject that touches me a lot, I think citizens need to take it on even more. So it’s inevitably a bit depressing because every time there are votes or that we try to consult the population, we don’t really take it into account. I really wanted to tell this film which is, indeed, very well documented, to work again with Frédéric Tellier and to do a role that I don’t I’m not necessarily used to doing.”
Rather well built and efficient, Goliath does not, alas sometimes, avoid the trap of pathos and good feelings, even if its grip with current events and important themes, not to say urgent, can affect our consciences and our actions.
Also worth mentioning, finally, and in short, two other releases of the week, and two documentaries by the way, the first, The French campaign by Sylvain Desclous who recounts a municipal election in a small village in Indre-et-Loire in 2020, and which goes beyond the usual framework of this type of project.
And the second documentary, Without knocking, again in an original form, studies the issues of rape and consent. Directed by the Belgian Alexe Poukine, this film chooses to highlight the collective voice of the victims.