40-love / Terre battue

 

Los Angeles Premiere • Drama • France, Belgique, 2014

DCP • 2.35 • Dolby 5.1 • Color • 95 min

 

Directed by: Stéphane Demoustier

Written by: Stéphane Demoustier, Gaëlle Macé

Cinematography: Julien Poupard

Film Editing: Damien Maestraggi

Produced by: Frédéric Jouve (Les Films Velvet), Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (Les Films du Fleuve), Arte France Cinema

Cast: Olivier Gourmet (Jérôme), Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (Laura), Charles Merienne (Ugo), Vimala Pons (Sylvie), Jean-Yves Berteloot (Sardi)

International Sales: Films Distribution

 

In this psychologically-fruitful directorial debut, Jérôme, a man fast approaching the wrong end of middle age, hopes to achieve financial independence after being fired from his mundane retail gig. Under intense pressure to succeed, he embarks on an ambitious plan to open up a strip mall shoe store of his own.  As his methods slide from ethically questionable to outright illegal, his family life begins to rupture. And Jérôme - played with all the sweaty cageyness of a cornered animal by Gourmet (The Son) - begins to see his 11 year-old son and budding tennis superstar, Ugo, as his last best hope for a taste of the good life. If only Jérôme can get out of his son’s way.

 

For his feature film debut, writer/director Stéphane Demoustier collaborated with Gaëlle Macé, who has also co-written this year’s Elle L’adore along with Jeanne Herry (COLCOA 2015) to fashion a story drawn partially from his own experiences as a young tennis player, and set in the environs of his hometown of Lille. Among his numerous shorts, Weekend won the COLCOA Short Film Award in 2011. Demoustier wrote and directed the mid-length documentary, Les petits joueurs (2013), which followed the lives of three junior French tennis hopefuls. While making the film he met Charles Merienne, who turns in a remarkably affecting acting debut here, as Ugo.

 

 

Quotes:

“The way the filmmakers find parallels between a father falling from grace, and a son rising toward it, are captivating.” - Jordan Mintzer HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“May be the year’s best example of a film, like Joachim Lafosse’s “Our Children” or Michael Haneke’s “Code Unknown,” in which a detailed examination of a specific family reveals volumes about a larger social phenomenon.”  - Peter Debruge VARIETY