For It Is Man's Number: adèle exarchopoulos

Showing posts with label adèle exarchopoulos. Show all posts

Monday, 12 January 2026

Mubi Monday: The Piano Accident (2025)

A new film from writer-director Quentin Dupieux is always a reason to celebrate, as far as I'm concerned. His films aren't for everyone, but he consistently delivers weird brilliance for those who know what they're letting themselves in for.

While far from his best work, The Piano Accident is a VERY dark comedy that makes some obvious comments on modern life, social media, and the lengths that people will go to for their fifteen minutes of fame. The brilliant Adèle Exarchopoulos plays the main character, Magalie, a young woman who has become famous for videos that have her harming herself in a variety of painful stunts. Something has happened to force her into a temporary respite though. She only has the company of her assistant, Patrick (Jérôme Commandeur), but is approached/blackmailed by Simone (Sandrine Kiberlain), a woman who wants to conduct an interview that she hopes will somehow shed some light on exactly why Magalie does what she does.

Drawing a clear through line from the "MTV generation" to the voracious content consumers of today, as well as showing how we live in a state of wanting to please others from time spent seeking approval and attention from parents, Dupieux makes his feelings obvious about what many may class as entertainment. He has no love for the numbing effect of social media, and tries to offer up a warning to those who may find themselves chasing more and more extreme ways to temporarily satisfy an appetite in a mass audience that will just keep getting hungrier and hungrier while they know that the world is one internet connection away from catering to their needs.

Exarchopoulos, awkward and unhappy throughout, is fine in the lead role, although it feels more defined by the brace her character wears throughout and her nonchalant attitude to her self-mutilation. This isn't her at her best, perhaps just a bit too confined by how unwittingly trapped her character has become. Commandeur is enjoyable in his supporting role, but Kiberlain gets the best moments, forcing our lead to really reflect on what she is aiming to achieve with her actions.

It may say as much about Dupieux as it does about what he's being critical of, and some will view this as nothing more than an old man yelling at clouds, but The Piano Accident is certainly made more uncomfortable to watch because of knowing that it feels pretty accurate. There have been a number of other films made about the impact of social media since we started to really become embroiled in it, one or two better than this, but this feels like a desperate warning, probably far too late, to those who think they can grab their slice of fame and fortune by simply acting like an idiot on camera for a few seconds at a time.

7/10

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Monday, 18 August 2025

Mubi Monday: Beating Hearts (2024)

Based on a 1997 novel by Irish writer Neville Thompson, "Jackie Loves Johnser OK?", Beating Hearts is a very traditional tale of two potential lovers heading on two very different paths through life. It's so traditional that I was surprised to see so many names credited in the writing department, including director Gilles Lellouche, but maybe that was due to people helping refine the material and ensure it would all translate well enough to France, where it's set.

Things revolve around the pairing of Jackie (young version played by Mallory Wanecque, older version played by Adéle Exarchopoulos) and Clotaire (young version played by Malik Frikah, older version played by François Civil). Jackie is headstrong and smart, but generally also keeping out of trouble as she figures out what she wants to do with her life. Clotaire spends his time involved in petty crime with his friends, and things escalate to more serious robberies, resulting in a death that he is arrested and imprisoned for (despite not being the one responsible). The passing of time doesn't dull the strength of feeling that Jackie and Clotaire have for one another, but it seems that circumstances are conspiring to keep them apart.

There are French crime thrillers that are better than this, and grittier. There are many love stories out there without the violence that this has. You have plenty to choose from. But Beating Hearts is highly watchable thanks to the style (it all looks great, and there's a vibrant soundtrack that even makes use of some John Carpenter tracks from the Escape From New York score), the structure, and the performances of the leads, both young and old. Lellouche does well with the material, but they give themselves a major boost by casting so well.

I've said recently that Exarchopoulos is one of those people I will watch in anything. That hasn't changed. She's as riveting here as she usually is, and there's a nice consistency as her performance follows on from the great turn from Wanecque. On the other hand, Civil, while he does well, has to be more sombre and worn down than the past version of himself, so charmingly portrayed by Frikah. Every one of the four leads manages to sketch an entire idea of their life lived up to that point, and the bond between Jackie and Clotaire becomes the one defining constant. Vincent Lacoste is fine as Jeffrey, a man who also ends up lovestruck by Jackie, and who benefits from being present when Clotaire cannot, and Alain Chabat is solid as Jackie's considerate and loving father.

Despite some predictability, Beating Hearts somehow manages to be both expected and unexpected. It has the occasional bursts of violence, it has the character who is only truly seen by a loved one, and there are certain debts to be paid. It also has a surprising sweetness through a number of scenes, and a genuine sense of how romance and love language can be very different for some, but no less genuine or serious. The hefty 166-minute runtime doesn't drag, and it actually feels right to give these characters the time and space to get to where we want them to go. I highly recommend this one, even if you think it's something we've already seen a hundred times over in the past few decades.

8/10

Friday, 27 September 2024

Inside Out 2 (2024)

Just to be clear at the start here, I was one of many people who figured that we really didn't need a sequel to the wonderful Inside Out. The first film was another instant classic from Pixar, although it was released in between a few movies that people might argue rank as some of the weakest from them, and the story felt complete. There's a great hook here though, and a natural progression that allows the film to feel as insightful and brilliant as the first film.

Here's the simple, and simply brilliant, premise. Riley Andersen, the lead of Inside Out, is now starting her journey through her teenage years. Her emotions now also take care of her sense of self, an important area that uses her memories and experiences to help her turn into the kind of person that she wants to be. Joy (Amy Poehler) wants to keep everything positive, and get rid of all the negativity, but she ends up with a much tougher job when the core emotions are joined by some new emotions - anxiety (Maya Hawke), embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and envy (Ayo Edebiri). This extra turmoil happens inside Riley as she is heading with her friends, Bree and Grace, to a weekend ice hockey camp that she hopes will lead to her joining the team.

This isn't as good as the first movie, but the criticisms I could list here seem to work for it. The animation and plotting feel a bit messy at times, which is perfectly in line with how everything feels as a teenager. Writers Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein (developing a story idea by LeFauve and director Kelsey Mann) do a good job of further developing an internal world that perfectly correlates to the external attitude and behaviour of the main character. Mann came up through the ranks of Pixar in the standard way, and he shows that he's been taking plenty of notes while making his way up the ladder. This is so good that I am tempted to forgive both him and LeFauve for their work on The Good Dinosaur.

As expected, the voice cast all work brilliantly in their roles. Poehler remains perfect, as do Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Lewis Black (Anger), and Tony Hale (Fear). Hawke, Hauser, Edebiri, and Exarchopoulos are great additions, as is Liza Lapira (getting a couple of fun moments as Disgust), and it's also worth praising Kensington Tallman (Riley), Grace Lu (Grace), Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green (Bree), Diane Lane (Mom), Kyle MacLachlan (Dad), Lilimar, Yvette Nicole Brown, Ron Funches, James Austin Johnson, and everyone else involved in bringing this bright and surreal story to life.

If you enjoyed the first movie as much as I (and many others) did then you can be happy that people found a way to craft a sequel that feels natural and absolutely in line with the first film. It's not quite as sharp, not quite as tidy, and not quite as emotional, but teenagers rarely are. There's no need for a third instalment, but I'm very happy that we have two Inside Out movies of near-equal quality.

8/10

Monday, 11 December 2023

Mubi Monday: Passages (2023)

People who know me even slightly will be unsurprised to find out that I was happy to prioritise this film in my viewing schedule. Because I am happy to make time for anything starring the absolutely never-less-than-stellar Adèle Exarchopoulos. Put her in a main role alongside Franz Rogowski and Ben Whishaw and there is no holding me back.

Rogowski plays Tomas, a man in a turbulent period of a relationship with Martin (Whishaw). That turbulence is caused by his own behaviour, with narcissism and insecurity creating an unpleasant environment for the couple, and things become much more complicated when Tomas starts a relationship with Agathe (Exarchopoulos). Claiming to be in love with Agathe, and ready to commit, Tomas cannot stop trying to visit Martin, holding himself between a past he cannot let go of and a future he won’t fully grasp. And that isn’t good for anyone.

Directed by Ira Sachs, who also co-wrote the script with Mauricio Zacharias (and there’s an additional dialogue credit for Arlette Langmann), Passages is a thoughtful and brilliant look at some adults struggling to make relationships work while one adult tries to have his cake and eat it. It is in line with other films from Sachs, with everything shown in a realistic and natural way that keeps it aimed very much at adult viewers who will recognise the easy confusions of love, sex, personal freedom, and commitment to others.

Sachs is helped by his superb cast, although he is used to working with great performers who seem to deliver wonderful performances in response to his work. Exarchopoulos is arguably the most riveting actress working today, and portrays someone here who is optimistic, but also strong enough to take a stand when it is necessary. Whishaw does likewise, although his character is a bit more manipulated by a partner who is familiar with how to connect and reframe the conversation they are having. As for Rogowski, he is just brilliant in a role that requires him to clarify his neediness and selfish nature.

I am choosing not to say any more, for fear of any minor spoilers I think you should avoid, but I highly recommend this to you if you are a fan of any of the main players. It takes a few scenes to settle in to the main thrust of the plot, but things soon become riveting, and I know that many viewers will spend the second half of the movie hoping that Sachs can resolve things in a way that feels plausible and satisfying. And he absolutely does.

I can’t imagine wanting to rush to revisit this, but I really appreciated it while it was on. It’s akin to a bold and challenging stage play, and I wouldn’t be surprised if any incarnation of the screenplay had ever been developed with that in mind. Definitely worth your time.

8/10

Monday, 25 September 2023

Mubi Monday: Orphan (2016)

Not to be confused with the “killer kid” movie from some years previously, Orphan is a drama about the female experience, represented by a number of very talented actresses playing the same character at four different points in her life. Although that could seem tricky, and arguably unnecessary, viewers can take or leave the central conceit as they wish. What really matters is the time spent exploring facets of the female experience.

Director Arnaud des Pallières, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Christelle Berthevas, makes use of connective tissue to show moments in a life shaped by the actions of men, various types of oppression (whether physical, financial, or the pressure on women to have a child), and one or two bad decisions. Shown in a non-chronological way, viewers are drawn to the characters thanks to the excellent cast and the idea that we’re watching someone on sliding on an inexorably downhill trajectory.

There isn’t much point in giving a full summary here. It’s enough to say that one little girl grows into a young woman in a difficult situation, who subsequently grows into a young woman exuding an air of confidence that gives the impression of her being more in control, and some time later lives her life as a woman striving to maintain a content and normal life. The central character is portrayed, at her different ages, by Vega Cuzytek, Solène Rigot, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Adèle Haenel.

As well as everyone just mentioned, and both Exarchopoulos and Haenel are usually enough to get me to watch anything (particularly the former, one of the best actresses of the last decade, and STILL not being given the recognition she deserves), there are performances here from Gemma Arterton, Jalil Lespert, and Robert Hunger-Bühler. Each person onscreen, including the many not mentioned here, feels important for their impact on the central character, and the acting is as excellent across the board as it needs to be, and as you would expect from most of these names.

Moving between moments of calm and moments of freneticism, and often showing sex and submission in place of real care and love, as well as how those things can get mixed up and melted together in one big puddle of gooey emotions, Orphan may not cover any new ground, but it retreads a well-worn path with the aim of underlining the many small hurts and wounds that add up to damage that reverberates through an entire lifetime. The script and direction are both top notch, but it’s the acting that really makes this so rewarding.

8/10

Monday, 5 June 2023

Mubi Monday: The Five Devils (2022)

The second feature from director Léa Mysius, this is a big step up from her last work (Ava), although there's definitely connective tissue between the two works. Both films are about a child dealing with memories, and, to a certain degree, figuring out different ways to make things more ideal within their own environment.

Sally Dramé plays Vicky, a young girl who has a knack for identifying different scents. She tries to bottle different favourites, including scents belonging to her mother (Joanne, played by Adèle Exarchopoulos). Joanne isn't feeling as strongly connected as she once was to her partner/Vicky's father, Jimmy (Moustapha Mbengue), and things become more strained when Jimmy's sister, Julia (Swala Emati) comes to stay at their home after time spent in prison. While trying to figure out why things are changing around her, Vicky keeps working on collecting just the right scents, some powerful enough to help her visit and view the past, where she learns a lot more about the complicated relationship between Joanne, Julia, and Jimmy.

Once again working in collaboration with writer Paul Guilhaume, Mysius helps herself enormously this time around by being willing to take things even further, in cinematic terms, and by putting together an even more memorable cast. I should say now, however, that I have a slight bias towards Exarchopoulos, and consider her to be one of the absolute best actresses of her generation.

Alongside Exarchopoulos (who is used brilliantly here, and I don't know if you're aware, but . . . . she's one of the absolute best actresses of her generation) you have others who try to hold their own beside her. Some work better than others, and the standout is young Dramé, managing to effectively portray a child with a special power who slides from typically childish play mode into a more determined and focused practitioner of her craft, intrigued by what she glimpses and seeking a way to dig even deeper towards hidden truths that may or may not be best left in the past. Emati does well, Mbengue less so (although he has the more thankless role), and there are good supporting turns from Patrick Bouchitey and Daphne Patakia, both embodying very different people that Joanne might want to get away from.

A deft blend of light and dark, magical realism crashing against depressing realism as a child watches an adult who is starting to seriously regret some of the roads that life has taken her down, The Five Devils is a well-realised study of a certain nexus point between parent and child. It looks at that strange time when any child starts to realise that their parents didn’t just arrive on the planet as fully-formed full-time caregivers, and the use of scent as a trigger/portal makes sense, because we all have those specific smells that can transport us back to a specific time and place. A brand of perfume, a mix of seawater and candy floss, Red Bull and vodka, etc, etc. All of those things, and many more, can cause a strong reaction in your memory muscles, and anyone reading this will have a number of triggers that will take them right back to a specific childhood treat or tribulation.

While there are moments that I wish were handled a bit better here, particularly the last few scenes, this easily does well enough to deserve your attention. And it’s a substantial next step in what is becoming a very interesting filmography from Léa Mysius.

8/10

Monday, 25 April 2022

Mubi Monday: Zero Fucks Given (2021)

AKA the anti-View From The Top.

The excellent Adèle Exarchopoulos stars here as Cassandre, a flight attendant who has some big decisions to make when she reaches the end of her contract with her airline employer. Her next move is to do the training that will take her to management level, but that will make her job more of an actual job, as opposed to the fun, hazy, flight from one party to the next that she has been enjoying for some time.

The obvious irony here, from my point of view, is that the central character has problems in her life because she actually does care. Her time of not caring is ended, outwith her control, and that forces her to re-evaluate her life, which allows viewers to see what she has been determined to not think about for as long as possible.

Co-directed and co-written by Emmanuele Marre and Julie Lecoustre, with some additional assistance from Mariette Désert, Zero Fucks Given expertly walks a line in showing a character trying to pretend that they don’t have a care in the world without having them become so irritating that they are unpleasant company to be stuck with for the duration of the film. Marre has the bigger filmography, although I am unfamiliar with their work, but this is a feature that should easily stand out as a highlight in anyone’s body of work, which means I will look forward to whatever comes next from those involved.

While there is a smattering of supporting characters, Cassandre is front and centre for almost every scene, and Exarchopoulos is perfect in that role. She is easy to like, easy to root for, and the script ensures that she actually does show empathy and a willingness to do the right thing, even while also trying to just enjoy some carefree time before life puts a stranglehold on her. Everyone does good work here, but Exarchopoulos owns the movie, cementing herself as another favourite of mine I will enjoy watching in anything.

Although showing the specific work issues that are associated with a career in air travel, this also works as a look at almost any working environment. When you are young enough to want that work-life balance leaving you more playtime, but still aiming to do your job to the best of your ability, employers often don’t leave room for mistakes (be they mistakes of youth or mistakes stemming from not doing things exactly by the book). People need that room, they need to make mistakes, and they need to be allowed to have fun before tying themselves to a rigid career path. It is unusual for anyone to know exactly what they want to do as soon as they leave formal education. Hell, I am in my forties and STILL unsure about what I do. Most of us do care though, and there’s constant pressure coming from so many different directions. Those who actually tend to give zero fucks are the companies, for the most part, especially those with many more potential job applicants than vacancies, assuring them a constant supply of ready replacements for people they don’t view as being committed enough.

8/10

Monday, 2 August 2021

Mubi Monday: Sibyl (2019)

Virginie Efira plays Sybil, a psychotherapist who decides that she wants to pursue her love of writing. She drops all of her patients, hoping to give her full time and attention to her craft, but is then called by Margot (Adèle Exarchopoulos). Margot is a young actress who has had an affair with her latest co-star, Igor (Gaspard Ulliel), a man who happens to be the husband of the director, Mika (Sandra Hüller). Not only has she had that affair, Margot is also pregnant, which means she is contemplating an abortion when she first talks to Sybil. Drawn into this complex and dramatic situation, Sybil starts to incorporate elements of Margot's life into her writing, and she also allows herself the opportunity to creep into a very different world, one in which the line between reality and fiction is as blurred as her own view of the world around her.

A fascinating look at some very interesting ideas, Sybil marries a great script, co-written by director Justine Triet and Arthur Hararai, with a cast all very much capable of doing their best in the roles they have been given. What could have been filtered a number of different ways, the same material could have been a standard melodrama or even a glossy psycho-thriller, has been crafted into a near-flawless character study that has characters often so confused with their own choices and mindsets that viewers take an extra step or two to realise when things are sliding horribly, and inexorably, in the wrong direction for them.

Triet directs with an approach that brings viewers as close as possible to the two main leads (Efira and Exarchopoulos) and has us wanting to protect them from themselves, whether the pain comes from their own actions or the reactions of others. The moments of fantasy feel very easily identified during the earlier scenes, but it becomes harder and harder to figure out what is real and what isn't as we get closer to the very end of the film.

Efira is excellent, as authoritative and poised as she needs to be for many scenes before slowly and surely losing some control, and Exarchopoulos is equally good, portraying someone more naive and more used to delving in and out of scenarios that are complete fantasy. Ulliel does fine in his role, although his role ensures that he's the one main character who is easiest to dislike, or at least not care about, and Hüller excels as the angry director/hurt woman who is in some ways working opposite Sybil for the ability to ultimately control Margot for a short space of time. There are some other people around this selection of characters, and everyone does a good job in their roles, but it's this quartet that remains the focus throughout.

Never shying away from the many feelings that are brought to the surface by the strange circumstances, Sybil manages to be thought-provoking, tense, funny, and erotic, sometimes all at once, and it's a film that makes me want to further explore the careers of everyone involved. And anyone else feeling the same way could do a lot worse than a previous team-up of the director and star, In Bed With Victoria.

9/10

Monday, 25 March 2019

Mubi Monday: The White Crow (2018)

For his third directorial feature, Ralph Fiennes would seem to have edged further into more challenging territory with this look at the life of ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, the development of his talent and the building tension that led to his defection to the West. But that's not entirely true. Although I am sure he stretched himself to develop the ballet sequences, this is just far too by-the-numbers stuff that shows a man remaining well within his safety zone.

Oleg Ivenko plays the lead, with Fiennes himself also onscreen as Pushkin, a man who helps him to be the best he can be, and the behaviour of Nureyev is familiar stuff. He's arrogant, he rubs many people up the wrong way, and he has to overcome a number of major problems on his way to becoming the most famous male ballet dancer in the world (certainly to an uncultured layman like me).

Fiennes, either through lack of confidence or some unwise choices, never allows this to lift up as it should. Okay, it's about a crucial point in the life of Nureyev, but viewers should still know just how good his talent is, and that rarely comes across onscreen, despite the efforts of those involved to show some technical skill. Most of the time, we know that Nureyev is the best at what he does because he says that he is the best.

The script, by David Hare, feels far too meandering when it should be focused either on Nureyev's talent or the events being set in motion around him that he remains ignorant of until it's too late. The grand finale of the film is dramatic and tense, with viewers finally realising the very real and weighty stakes at play, but it's a case of too little too late.

It's all competently put together though, with enough there to make me want to check out the source material by Julie Kavanagh (her book about Nureyev being the inspiration), but there are enough minor failings and mis-steps to make this seem like a first attempt by Fiennes to sit in the director's chair.

It doesn't help that, I assume in an attempt to assemble a cast mixing talent and authenticity, very few people stand out in the acting front. Ivenko is quite poor, but he seems to have been picked more for his ability to emulate some dance moves than actually act, as is Adèle Exarchopoulos, playing a young woman who becomes Nureyev's closest friend, and it doesn't help that they pale in comparison to the performances from Fiennes and Chulpan Khamatova (playing the wife of Fiennes' character). Olivier Rabourdin and Raphaël Personnaz do decent work, playing two men who impact the life of Nureyev in very different ways, but nobody else stands out, unless it's for the wrong reasons.

I'm sure there's a great film to be made about Nureyev. Sadly, this isn't it.

5/10

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