If you expect to get another Bruno Dumont's usual stuff, such as L'HUMANITE, FLANDRES, JEANNE, I am afraid that you could be deceived, or enjoyed, if you were submited to torture with those movies, very hard to watch for most audiences. Stories during which it is possible to get down your street for shopping and get back cooking without losing anything from the film. This very movie reminds me. Xavier Durringer's LA CONQUETE, both - Durringer and Dumont - inspired by Sidney Lumet's style. So, it's definitely not the Bruno Dumont's style, but it is pretty OK after all, and so interesting to see a director trying something else, different. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be that comfortable in comedy, satyrical study of the modern broadcast news, political matters in France and social society in general thru the portrait of a female journalist splendidly played by a convincing Lea Seydoux. But, unlike many other reviews, I don't find this film boring and comedy lines are rather effective for me, though a bit clumsy from time to time, I agree. You may prefer Sid Lumet's NETWORK, no problem; it is even daring to compare, but this is still worth watching anyway. Last French feature close to this one about the topic was TOUTE RESSEMBLANCE, starring Frank Dubosc. But if you really seek in this movie for something also available in other Bruno Dumont's features, maybe it would be the search for the meaning of life. This is a line that was in Bruno Dumont's filmography. Here, he avoids minimalist matters and uses a bit of humor, that's the main difference. An ending also a tribute to Elia Kazan's A FACE IN THE CROWD.... For connaisseurs only. And maybe another tribute to another political French film from 2011: L'EXERCICE DU POUVOIR, where there was one of the most impressive car crash scene ever made, so sudden. Here it is less sudden but sooo impressive, shocking and well made too. The best of this film in terms of filming.
Review of France
