The new film by Mikhael Hers, Paris nights (Les Passagers de la Nuit), premieres in Brazilian cinemas on October 20, is in the selection of the Rio 2022 Festival and brings Charlotte Gainsbourg (Nymphomaniac) in the lead role. Despite the Portuguese title having lost the poetic grace of the original version, the feature is very sensitive and beautiful.
The production takes as its cut the moment in which François Mitterrand was elected in 1981 and remained until 1995 in the presidency of France. In the streets, celebrations spread and a wave of hope begins to rise in Paris. To date, Mitterrand holds the record for longevity in the presidency of the French Republic, with his term of office of 14 years. He was the first president of the republic and came from the Socialist Party. Under his tenure the death penalty was abolished in the French country.
And it is at this time that the character Elizabeth played by Gainsbourg separates from her husband and needs to move on with her two children. From now on, she is the breadwinner. Unfortunately, we see in her a portrait of the reality of many women who find themselves in this situation. Unemployed and without much expectations, she decides to write a letter to a late-night radio show to which she is a faithful listener. Thanks to her insomnia caused by worry about her future, she gets a job as a telephone operator and there she meets Talulah (Noée Abita), a teenager who is living on the street and who has problems with drugs.
The film deconstructs the stereotypical beauty of Paris. The night takes on another outfit. While Charlotte Gainsbourg's character spends late nights after being abandoned by her husband and worrying about her future and that of her children, her youngest Matthias (Quito Rayon-Richter) takes advantage of the darkness of the night to venture through the streets with his motorcycle. And Talulah, street girl and chemical dependent, sees the night as a possible way of life, without complaining about her current situation, she goes from one corner to another. Hers' direction gives us a depressed middle class looking for relief amidst the chaos of their own lives.
Many scenes take place at night and we realize that Hers' film gives a different meaning to the nighttime moment, in this scenario, it is synonymous with escape, freedom, relief. The characters, each in their own way, shine with their flaws and successes. the direction of Mikhael Hers is careful and kind to each of these figures who yearn for better times. This is not the Paris of romantics and lovers, but of lonely and lost souls.
The film's aesthetic does not evoke the French capital as we know it, but the art seen in the retrofuturistic scenarios of a verticalized periphery, whose horizon is full of skyscrapers similar to each other, occupying the view even from the upper floors. Whatever the angle, Elisabeth sees apartments similar to hers, where people who look alike or not must live. The color palette is very interesting, as it goes through blue and orange tones, in addition to many pastel colors. But it's still cozy, despite the gray and lonely attic. All well evidenced by the direction of photography. The exquisite work of Sébastien Buchmann with the mix of textures going from the grainy to the pixelated of digital technologies creating a certain conflict demarcating the generations taking us out of comfort. One of the highlights is the soundtrack, always at a low volume, but constant and giving meaning and emphasis to the characters' feelings. The film is depressing, but that's not the intention, but a feeling of allowing yourself to be sensitive in different nuances.
The political scenario is present as well as drug abuse and sexual experience. Here, in a shy way, we see the eldest daughter Judith (Megan Northam) practicing their acts of militancy away from the cameras. Already the substances consumed by Talulah are not even named, and the sex discovered by the youngest son has an aspect of sweetness and innocence. It's a film full of surprises, because while Elisabeth debates listeners' privacy, she has backstage dates. However, it is in the library that she discovers a possible love different from those in the radio departments.
The text is well balanced and knows how to work all its characters qualitatively There is room for the grandfather, the son's best friend, the brutal presenter Vanda Dorval (Emmanuelle Béart, half mysterious, half serious), the radio colleagues and the friend from the library. The direction and script are aware of the existence of a whole world beyond what is being filmed. Here everything has relevance to the screen.
The cast is impeccable and the choice of actress Charlotte Gainsbourg was a perfect acquisition. Her sweet voice and flexible expression walk between exhaustion and kindness, a penetrating and affectionate gaze. Unlike teenagers who are more energetic. These are delicate performances, faithful in a France that does not ignore conflicts. We are taken by surprise by a mastectomy, by a group hug. Few movies deliver scenes like Hers' feature that doesn't carry judgments but rather melancholy. Here the sensation is more important than the events themselves.
Paris nights premieres next Thursday, October 20, 2022 in Brazilian cinemas and is on display at the Rio 2022 Festival.
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