Press "Enter" to skip to content

The safe house by Lionel Baier

A film by Lionel Baier

With: Dominique Reymond, Michel Blanc, William Lebghil, Aurélien Gabrielli, Liliane Rovère, Ethan Chimienti, Adrien Barazzone, Larisa Faber

An eccentric family portrait set during the May 1968 protests in Paris. A nine-year-old boy stays with his grandparents and uncles while his parents protest. When an illustrious guest seeks refuge in the apartment, the family’s dynamics change.

An interesting subject, a playful staging that takes hold of a text that is itself playful, perfectly chosen performers (starting with a new and, alas, final top-class performance by Michel Blanc, but also Dominique Reymond, Aurélien Gabrielli in his comeback after a short career gap, William Lebghil as a credible, washed-up intellectual, and an appearance by Louise Chevillotte), the storytelling takes liberties with the Truth, and the fantasy is invited in (via the great story), making for an attractive, well-paced show. A very good Pathé comedy (but also co-produced by Losange films) whose main flaw at a festival like the Berlinale is that it is smoothed out to appeal to as many people as possible, and seeks first and foremost to entertain.

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.