The local cinematheque gave us last night the opportunity to see the Franco-Belgian mini-series ‘L’Agent immobilier‘ written and directed by Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen. The four episodes with a total duration of three hours could very well be a standalone film. There would be not too much to edit, because a film with a duration of almost three hours would not be something extraordinary today. Even more so as we deal with an original well-written script, full of surprises and upheavals, a with a story in which the psychological thriller, the fantastic film, the social and family drama, and the comedy of characters and situations combine into an interesting and well-paced film. ARTE is the main producer of this film, but as co-writter and co-director Shira Geffen told the audience in the discussion that took place after the end of the screening, viewers of the European television station will see the film only in May. Until then it participates in the festival circuits and can be seen in selected cinemas. Don’t miss the chance!
In Hitchcock‘s ‘Psycho‘, the motel at the crossroads is much more than set and background, it plays an essential role in the story. In many films that followed, the motel was replaced by a cottage in the mountains, an isolated mansion, or a banal villa in the suburbs, which in one way or another acquire the magical qualities of influencing the lives of those who live there, permanently or temporarily. This role is played in ‘L’Agent immobilier‘ by a multi-store building in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, a building long past its glory days, decrepit and almost abandoned except for one old lady tenant who must disappear one way or another to make room for progress, that is, for a modern sky-scrapper that generates solid profit. Olivier, the hero of the film played by the formidable Mathieu Amalric, inherits this building at the death of his mother, and from here begin his misfortunes and troubles. The building has its own history, related to the unusual story of his family, and the following series of events will resemble a roller-coaster ride in a demential amusement park. Viewers will alternate ‘horror’ thrills with portions of healthy laughter, accompanying Olivier’s adventures that include several encounters with death, time travel, messing with gangsters and a total revision of the family relationships with his father and his own daughter. A talking fish accompanies him on this journey, and it is left to the audience to whether it is capable of the magic of fulfilling the three wishes in the fairy story. Unusual? We probably shouldn’t be too surprised, because the script is written by Etgar Keret.
From the discussion with Shira Geffen I learned that the script originally written in Hebrew did not find its sponsors on Israeli television stations and it is a great shame. However, the translation into French is perfect, not only in language but also cultural-wise, si I was delighted by the sparkling dialogues in the language of Voltaire and Fabrice Luchini The Israeli presence is marked by … the perfect Hebrew-speaking gangster and his kid (played by the son of the 12-year-old filmmakers) with whom the hero Olivier will cross paths. The film also mentions the Holocaust, in a way that only a second-generation Israeli creator, the son of survivors, can do. The film (the series) has boldness and insolence, but also fantasy, humor, sensitivity. It is largely carried by Mathieu Amalric, almost permanently present on the screen, who adds yet another splendid role to his repertoire. Among other good actors I need to mention Eddy Mitchell, a veteran rock star in France, who left his mark in the movies as well, playing in more than 50 films and often leaving memorable traces (I saw him recently in Bertrand Tavernier‘s ‘Coup de Torchon‘ from 1981. Here Mitchell plays the role of a father as many secretly wish to have but do not dare to confess. I look forward to the meeting of these series with a wider audience. It may become a crazy success.