In French artist Neïl Beloufa’s acclaimed second feature, the streets of Paris are taken by barricades and furious protesters. Antonio (Idir Chender) and Giorgio (The Ornithologist's Paul Hamy), an eccentric and improbable couple, take refuge in the Hotel Occidental. Diana (Anna Ivacheff), the hotel manager, instantly suspects their attitude and calls the police. With no proper evidence, the officers and the hotel crew find themselves on a series of absurd anecdotal events involving homophobia, racism, misogyny, terrorist threats and political manipulations. The situation unfolds on a funny and tangled story that reflects satirically the uneasy context of our time. Official selection: Berlinale Forum, Wavelengths (TIFF), Projections (NYFF).
Terrifically deceptive and smart.
- Andréa Picard, TIFF
A magnificent piece of mise-en-scène cinema... the freshness is undeniable.
- Jonathan Romney, Film Comment
The vivid colours and bizarro details, including evocatively shot colonialist paintings, convey that Twin Peaks-sense of both quaintness and otherworldliness.
- Ela Bittencourt, Frieze
An entirely fresh cinematic experience. This social satire bristles suspense as well as comedy, thanks to its confined setting and giallo-like sound and color design.
- John Oursler, Village Voice
Like Fassbinder before him, Beloufa seeks to reflect, through artifice, on the complexity of present day bourgeois morals and to make us see more clearly the social and political conditions of present Europe.
- Nicolás Carrasco, desistfilm
(Available to download after screening date)