YANN GONZALEZ
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB.
Original title: Les rencontres d’apres minuit
France, 2013. Sedna Films, Garidi Films, Procirep, Angoa-Agicoa, CNAP/Image-Mouvement, Centre National De La Cinematographie, Région des Pays-de-la-Loire. Screenplay by Yann Gonzalez, scenario consultant Rebecca Zlotowski. Cinematography by Simon Beaufils. Produced by Cecile Vacheret. Music by Anthony Gonzalez, M83. Production Design by Sidney Dubois. Costume Design by Justine Pearce. Film Editing by Raphael Lefevre.
A problematic couple with tinges of otherworldly connection are having a late night party in their ultra-chic living room, supervised by their campy maid (Nicolas Maury). One by one the door opens and in come The Slut, The Stud (soccer star Eric Cantona), The Teen (Alain-Fabien Delon, son and dead ringer of the famous star) and The Star into a neon-lit setting that includes a jukebox that operates based on your mood. It seems they are getting set up for a big orgy, hence the revelation of the giant member hidden in The Stud’s pants, but the evening instead becomes a series of stories that flash back to significant emotional experiences in the participants’ past (the most fun of them a sadomasochistic sequence between Cantona and Béatrice Dalle). Well acted and beautifully shot, the film could do with a lot more actual content; its characters are pale representations of people whose information is rarely all that interesting and, as a result, their interactions rarely all that sexy. For something that sets itself up as an eccentric cult indulgence, it really doesn’t go crazy enough; don’t just whip out a giant penis and have someone call it pretty, do something crazy or launch into a speech that teaches me about life.
