Review of film: “PARTNERS” + Report on Q&A with Director MERMOUD [ = REPORT # 09 re CIFF ]

2009, 10-11;

Review of film:  “PARTNERS” + Report on Q&A with Director FRÉDÉRIC MERMOUD   

[ =  REPORT # 09 re 45th CIFF  = Chicago Int'l. Film Festival ]

--   Two Couples that Find “Uncommon” Paths to hoped-for Successes.

Director:  Frédéric Mermoud  (in a FRANCE / SWITZERLAND film, originally titled “COMPLICES”

Screenwriter:   Frédéric Mermoud  & Pascal Arnold

Rating:  8 of 10 stars.

For his first feature-length film, Director Frédéric  Mermoud has created a fascinating police-investigation tale set in the area of Lyon, France.  A handsome 19-year-old man named Vincent Bouvier (CYRIL DESCOURS) is discovered floating in a river after having been beaten & strangled…

…  A middle-aged detective (GILBERT YELKI) & his female colleague (EMMANUELLE DEVOS) start to investigate what happened to him & the backgrounds of the people who seem to be involved.

…  Via a series of flashbacks, we see how Cyril was in an internet café & was attracted to a sort of “plain” young lady named Rebecca (NINA MEURISSE), asking her to take a digital photo of him he could send over the internet. Rather than a guy playing games, he’s very sincere in his interest in her, & they start to date…

…  As they get more involved with each other, wanting to be truthful as they talk in his mobile home, charming Cyril reveals to her that he’s not really in real estate, but is instead a HUSTLER, getting jobs via a web-site (run by his young friend / pimp Thomas, played by JÉRÉMY KAPONE)…

…  Nina is shocked at first, but, since she loves him, she starts to accept his life--  & even agrees to his idea to JOIN him in some 3-way activities to try to make them some more money from men and / or women…

… Things seem to be OK until they chance to meet an older man who’s very into VIOLENCE. Their angry response to that (including a blackmail attempt) upsets Thomas, who urges Cyril to not stop his liaison activities…

…  The 2 police colleagues who keep investigating the case seem to have an attraction to each other (even when they regularly play ping-pong with each other), & you keep seeing more & more “layers” revealed of people as the story unfolds…

As time goes on, you wonder, who really attacked Cyril?...  What has happened to Rebecca, who has disappeared?...  What’s the story of the involvement of Thomas & Rebecca’s best girlfriend?  Who did what to whom, & why?!… 

…  It’s a fascinating, involved case (&, as I told the director at one point in his Q&A, you learn to really CARE about the characters involved). 

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             Q&A TALK with Director FRÉDÉRIC MERMOUD 

In his Q&A talk after the film, I asked Mr. Mermoud about the CASTING of the film.  NINA (Rebecca) was hired because he knew how good she was as an actress since she’d worked with him previously in 2 of the 5 short films he had done--  all of which helped give her a feeling of trust in what he’d be doing in this movie…

...  CYRIL DESCOURS was hired after looking at a number of people in a casting call.  He’d had a very small role in “PARIS, J’TAIME”, and, since he clearly appeared as someone likely to be very effective as attractive to both sexes, he was given this as his first major role.  As I commented, the 2 main leads came across as unusually “natural” in their work (& he agreed & was pleased to hear it)…

…  Frederic further commented that, he wanted to tell a story centered on young people in love, and, since he felt it best to center it in a lower-income place, rather than use the often-seen areas of Paris, he thus chose LYON for the filming…

…  He based the story idea on the media report of the discovery of French young people USING the internet for setting up sexual trysts.  To an audience member’s question, he said he actually worked hard to DE-emphasize the possibly-“sordid” elements of the story of the 2 main kids… 

…  He purposely put in the policeman’s words about his own past life, as an explanation of why that character responds as he does to Rebecca’s (Nina’s) plight at the end…  Frederic revealed that, a whole “side” plot had been filmed for the movie, wherein the male & female police leads had an affair. But, it was felt that it’d be best to remove that, as it appeared to be a distraction from the main story of the film…

…  After the film talk in the theater, Frederic very graciously answered MORE questions in the hall.  When I asked about the French legal system portrayed, he agreed, it is very DIFFERENT than in the U.S.: 

…  As shown in the film, the Police in France can do pretty much WHATEVER they want in an investigation for 5 to 7 days after a crime is discovered.  If longer than that, they can get an “OK” for more exploration rights by going to a sort of “clerk” (rather than a judge) in the legal system…

…  Furthermore, the police do NOT need a warrant to enter or search a place (for the 1st 5-7 days), & do NOT need to inform a suspect of any “rights” they may have:  they can ask ANYTHING they want from a suspect for at least 24 hours, after which a suspect can consult an attorney…

…  He commented, the French tend to be very favorably impressed by American films they see which show all the enhanced rights OUR citizens have in such situations… 

…  This was Frederick’s 1st visit to an American Film Festival, & he said he’s had a WONDERFUL time in Chicago, being especially pleased at the warm response to his film (which was shown for the 3rd time today & got hearty applause at the end)…

…  The film will not be released in France & Switzerland until January [of 2010], &, while it looks close to having a Canadian distribution, nothing is set yet re a hoped-for American distribution. To my question, Frederic said, he does have a NEW project in mind--  but he’s just starting to WRITE the script involved.

[ NOTE:  This film later won an AWARD at the CHICAGO INT’L FILM FESTIVAL, as quoted below:

“ Gold Plaque to PARTNERS (Switzerland/France). PARTNERS treats its brutal theme of the young trapped into commercial vice and violence without forfeiting affection for the victims or belief in their fundamental yearning for love and escape. We particularly admired the film’s skillful structure and excellent ensemble performances.” ]

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