Laurent Achard

Caen, Thursday, February 25, 2020. In two days, Patricia Mazuy will start the shooting of her new film, Bowling Saturne.

Jean-François Stévenin, autor de três longas-metragens, certamente sabe fazer uma entrada: Laurent Achard abre este retrato dedicado a ele como parte da série mítica Cinéastes de Notre Temps com uma espera ansiosa. Atrás das câmeras, no espelho de Manet na parede do café onde o ator-diretor deve chegar, podemos ver todos os fãs que vieram ouvi-lo hoje. Quando o herói finalmente aparece, quase como Johnny Halliday, sua entrada em cena é também a do ator que foi, em seus próprios filmes e nos de Truffaut, Rivette, Godard, Mazuy e tantos outros.

Jean-Claude Brisseau receives a film crew and some friends at his home to talk about cinema, childhood, time passing by…

Jean-Claude Brisseau receives a film crew and some friends at his home to talk about cinema, childhood, time passing by…

Laurent Achard set up his camera on the set of Paul Vecchiali’s film Le Cancre to capture the director’s creative power. Although Vecchiali’s precision is impressive, Achard also shows moments where his collaborators’ input is essential. Under the director’s eye, the stars are becoming actors again, and Achard revives the heritage of Vecchiali’s '70s and '80s production studio Diagonale.

In the twilight of their life, Odile and Marcel still love each other. Affected by an incurable disease, Odile must be hospitalized. Feeling the end of Odile so close, the couple decided to commit suicide, so not to be separated. The time of a last Sunday.

Sylvain, a young man, devotes his life to small, local movie theater destined to be shut down. He lives in the theater's basement and is the theater programer, projectionist, and ticket seller. Each night, after the last screening, he leaves the building to carry out a ritual killing.

Sylvain, a young man, devotes his life to small, local movie theater destined to be shut down. He lives in the theater's basement and is the theater programer, projectionist, and ticket seller. Each night, after the last screening, he leaves the building to carry out a ritual killing.

It’s summer and the beginning of the long vacation period for eleven-year-old Martin, who lives on a farm, and, at a loss, observes his family’s disintegration : his mother lives locked-up in her room ; his older brother, who he adores, drowns himself in drink ; and his father, dominated by Martin’s grandmother, is a helpless onlooker to the family’s collapse. Although Mistigri, his cat, and Malika, the Moroccan maid, afford him some comfort, Martin is determined to put an end to this confusion.

It’s summer and the beginning of the long vacation period for eleven-year-old Martin, who lives on a farm, and, at a loss, observes his family’s disintegration : his mother lives locked-up in her room ; his older brother, who he adores, drowns himself in drink ; and his father, dominated by Martin’s grandmother, is a helpless onlooker to the family’s collapse. Although Mistigri, his cat, and Malika, the Moroccan maid, afford him some comfort, Martin is determined to put an end to this confusion.

A house in the country, one November day. In a corner of the garden, a child waits in silence.

The last weekend of summer. Mother is preparing the jars for winter pickling, love-struck Françoise is practising karaoke in front of her little brother Julien. In the shed behind the house, Karim is doing some "undeclared" work, having given up on his acting dreams. In a few hours, the new canning factory, where Father works, will be inaugurated. No one is expecting Sonia, who decides to turn up that very morning.

With few words and leaving it to the spectator to fill in blanks, this short subject contemplates one ordinary day in the life of a single woman and her child.