18/02/2015 - Le Pacte is bringing out an amazing superhero film that uses no special effects; originality is also guaranteed with Reality

While France is on the same wavelength as the rest of the globe when it comes to 50 Shades of Grey (which has taken 1.69 million admissions in five days), and the national comedies Papa ou maman [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] and La famille Bélier [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] continue their successful runs (taking 1.27 million viewers in 12 days and 6.22 million in almost nine weeks, respectively), this Wednesday sees the arrival of nine new releases. And French production is notable for its originality, particularly with Vincent [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], released by Le Pacte across 80 screens.

Revealed at San Sebastian (read the review), this feature debut directed by and starring Thomas Salvador stunned the critics in a very good way thanks to Vincent, its main character; his strength is boosted immeasurably when he comes into contact with water, which does not, in and of itself, turn him into Superman. “Can you imagine a superhero who can only use his powers on rainy days or who’s forced to be on patrol with a multipack of mineral waters in his hand?” laughs the director. “He doesn’t consider his extraordinary abilities to be a power. He is caught up in his own life as a regular man, his need to come to terms with what makes him stand out on a day-to-day basis, and he therefore doesn’t feel like he is committed to any sort of mission (...) I wanted to shoot the film in a natural setting and to resort to mechanical effects. By subjecting Vincent to a real effort and by exposing him to the resistance of water or the force of gravity, we preserve his materiality and his fragility.” This inventiveness is all the more remarkable given that Vincent had a budget of a mere €1.92 million and succeeded in creating such an extraordinary adventure; for that we must pay tribute to the movie’s daring partners (producer Christmas in July, the CNC’s advance on receipts, Canal+, Cinémage and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region).

Originality is also guaranteed with Reality [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Quentin Dupieux’s new foray into absurd humour. Unveiled at Venice (read the review), the film, which stars the excellent Alain Chabat in the lead, is distributed by Diaphana in 70 theatres.

Today also sees the release of Max et Lenny [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Fred Nicolas (read the article), another French feature debut that is by no means lacking in quality elements. Distributed in 22 cinemas courtesy of Shellac, the film faithfully and sensitively reproduces the daily lives of two teenagers (played by Camélia Pand'Or and Jisca Kalvanda) from the working-class areas of Marseille.

Lastly, we should point out the French comedy Bis [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Dominique Farrugia (starring Kad Merad, Franck Dubosc and Alexandra Lamy – EuropaCorp Distribution in over 500 theatres), the British film Kingsman: The Secret Service [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Matthew Vaughn (distributed by 20th Century Fox) and Buoni a Nulla [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Italy’s Gianni di Gregorio (read the review – Bellissima Films across 39 screens).

(Translated from French)