Chabrol and Depardieu finally "intersect" paths on Bellamy

by Fabien Lemercier

25/02/2009 - One is celebrating 50 years of filmmaking, the other has spent 40 years on film sets, but they had never worked together before: Claude Chabrol and Gérard Depardieu put an end to this state of affairs with Bellamy [trailer], which had a special screening at the recent Berlinale. The film is being launched in France today by TFM Distribution on 286 screens.

Highly acclaimed by critics for its psychological subtlety (beneath the guise of a cool, Simenon-style thriller) and the excellent performances of its actors, the film stars an outstanding Depardieu, alongside Jacques Gamblin, Clovis Cornillac, Marie Bunel and Vahina Giocante.

Co-written by the director and Odile Barski, the film centres on the unofficial investigation carried out by a police superintendent on holiday (Depardieu). He is approached by a strange and depraved character (Gamblin) who claims to have committed murder and identity theft with the aim of disappearing.

Beyond the detective trail, the thought of another possible life troubles the superintendent (happily married with a successful career), especially as his half-brother (Cornillac) reappears. This alcoholic failure is a reflection of a complex family background in which different destinies are closer than they appear. Speaking of this web of relations, Chabrol said that the film could have been called "Intersecting Appearances".

Produced by Aliceleo, Bellamy was made for €11.67m. This included €1.8m in pre-sales and co-production investment from France 2 Cinéma, backing from the Languedoc-Roussillon region and pre-sales from Canal + and Ciné Cinéma.

This Wednesday also sees the release of John Crowley’s acclaimed UK title Boy A. [trailer], which stars Andrew Garfield and Peter Mullan and is being launched by Pyramide on 60 screens. Unveiled in the Panorama section at the 2008 Berlinale (see article), the film has picked up a rich crop of prizes, including four Bafta TV Awards and numerous honours at the latest Dinard British Film Festival (Golden Hitchcock for Best Film, Best Screenplay, Audience Award and Best Cinematography).

Also hitting screens are Gerardo Olivares’ Spanish film 14 Kilometres [trailer] (Colifilms Distribution on three screens) and three other French productions: David Charhon’s comedy Cyprien [trailer], starring Elie Semoun and Catherine Deneuve (produced by Serenity Films, co-produced by Studio 37 and TF1 Films Production - Mars Distribution on around 310 screens); and the documentaries Nord Paradis (“North Paradise”) by Christophe Lamotte (produced by Cauri Films - Pierre Grise Distribution on a five-print run); and Bouzkachi: The Chant of Steppes by Jacques Debs (Bodega Films on two screens).

(Translated from French)