Writers: Mia Hansen-Love, Sven Hansen-Love
Cast: Felix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Vincent Macaigne
Language: French
Paul, a teenager in the underground music scene of early 90s Paris, forms a DJ collective with his friends and together they plunge into the nightlife of sex, drugs, and endless music.
The film is magnificent and different in terms of what it doesn't do. Is it the story of an underdog or under-appreciated DJ who overcomes things with a great resolution at the end?, Is he a famous guy?, Does his life takes drastic turns due to random things happening? Is it Boggie Nights for DJs? - Answer to all of that is- Hell No!!! Film is basically an adaptation of Mia's brother Sven life and he helped in writing the screenplay for it. It is not a job with which you can plan your life around and despite warnings from his mother- he plunges into it with the genre being Garage- which he describes as electronic music meeting disco. It basically revolves around his life and try to portray what happens after music is turned off and lights are out or, in this case, sun has come up. Despite the cool soundtrack and sexy settings, it is a slow burner and still a very cool watch. An obvious comparison for this one would be with Michael Winterbottom's masterpiece- '24 Hour Party People'. Unlike 24HPP, it doesn't concentrate much on the business side of things but they play a significant role in the Part-2 portion of the film- which is significantly shorter than the first. The central character is played in a very toned down manner by Felix de Givry and it is left to the viewer to decipher what is going on in his mind and life. Changes are quite subtle as the years go by. The power play in his relationships are also quite subtly told and everything is done without any accompanying bells or whistles.
It also includes appearances by two actors who portray Daft Punk at various points in their career. Since we don't know how they look like, it is quite possible that they were indeed the Daft Punk duo. Film is a very good one and is recommended for people who love this sort of music and like the films that they watch to be subtle. It can also be classed as a companion-piece to 'Inside Llewyn Davis'.
PS: I feel like watching '24 Hour Party People' again on the back of that and these two films would make an excellent double bill.
Rating: 4.5/5
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