02/09/2002 - It's Friday Night in Paris and a man and a woman meet and fall in love while stuck in a traffic jam

It’s Friday night and Laure is stuck in a nasty traffic jam. She is on her way to her boyfriend’s flat when she sees a stranger (called Jean) and decides to give him a lift. They are immediately attracted to one another and decide to spend the night together. Vendredi Soir by Claire Denis stars Valerie Lemercier and Vincent Lindon and was selected for competition in “Controcorrente” at Venice 59. Vendredi Soir (Friday Night) is based on a short story by Emmanuelle Bernheim. It is a film with very little dialogue but lots of intense looks and wave after wave of powerful emotions.
“Right from the word go Laure and Jean are on the same wavelength, but Laure is cautious and maybe even a little afraid of Jean who comes across as a warm and releaxed type of person. I think the unknown has the power to unnerve you while also making you feel almost happy.” Claire Denis is a regular at major festivals like Cannes and Venice and she recently won a Golden Leopard in Locarno for Nénette et Boni. She directed an episode - Vers Nancy - that is part of an ensemble film entitled Ten Minutes Older: The Cello also selected for Venice 59.

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(Translated from Italian)