V-Drama: VIVANTS (ON THE PULSE) (2023)
A nice font over the lights of the traffic in Paris by night
The drama that starts with V is the French film VIVANTS (English title: ON THE PULSE) by Alix Delaporte. It is not at all what I expected.
Expectations vs. Reality
Expectation #1: At first, I thought VIVANTS would be about the Bataclan attacks in Paris in 2015.
Reality: Turns out that's a TV series called DES VIVANTS.
Expectation #2: So I was a little puzzled when the opening credits showed reporters covering wars. Then I figured: maybe it's about the journalists who covered the November 13, 2015 attacks.
Reality: Nope. It's just a film about news reporters in Paris.
The opening credits oversell what you’re gonna get.
Expectation #3: But surely something dramatic will happen at some point—a war, another terrorist attack, some major crisis that would usually kick off within the first 3 minutes of an US movie.
When the first scene opened on the Paris Métro, my first thought was, "OK, a terrorist attack is going to happen in the subway any minute now, or survivors from the Bataclan will come rushing in." My second thought was, "Wow, even the extras are hot." Do you see what I see?
Reality: Something big does happen. A giraffe gets loose in Paris. That’s literally big.
At the very end of the film. Thanks for your patience!
Expectation #4: Whatever this is, it must be good. After all, it was part of the Official Selection at the 2023 Venice Biennale!
Sometimes festivals trick you. Programmers can’t be trusted.
Reality: Don't waste your time. This should’ve been a short film. The only things I enjoyed were watching Pierre Lottin in action and Roschdy Zem dance for 23 minutes.
Maybe one day I will get the point of this whole scene. Roschdy Zem had no depth at all in this film. No complexity. And I don’t blame him, the script sucks. A waste of his talent.
Expectation #5: Well, at least it was written and directed by a woman in the 2020s. It must be remotely feminist.
Reality: It romanticizes an office relationship between the new intern, Gabrielle (played by Alice Isaaz, born in 1991), and the channel's editor-in-chief (ie. everyone's boss) Vincent (played by Roschdy Zem, born in 1965). At no point is the power imbalance questioned or even acknowledged. Nobody raises an eyebrow; if anything, everyone around them seems eager to turn their unspoken crush into an actual relationship.
Gabrielle (played by Alice Isaaz) and Alex (Pierre Lottin) looking at something mindblowing Vincent (Roschdy Zem) is doing in the woods: he’s hugging a tree. These French are so boring putain.
Expectation #6: Vincent is going to die. A 5-minute shot of his face, alternating between the darkness of a tunnel and the daylight streaming into his cab, combined with the fact that he just left his kids behind, makes you think this is the last time you're ever going to see him.
Reality: Nothing. Fucking. Happens in this film. Quit hoping!
I wish I could ignore the Charlie Hebdo cameo (Jean-Charles Clichet's character, Kosta, is casually shown reading it).
Best performances: Pierre Lottin, of course, but also Pascale Arbillot as Camille. She's the reason I kept watching (if there has to be a reason other than me being irrational). She carries the entire film. Oh! I did keep watching because I expected to see someone again…
One great thing that happened in this film
I recognized one of the extras! Sonia Imbert is an actress (and voice actress) in Paris. We worked together back when I was the Editorial Director of Emmanuelles.
That’s her on the phone! I was so happy to see her!
She’s credited among “Les journalistes de l’agence”
That film left me half-dead with boredom. Hopefully, the next movie will bring me back to life!
Up next on my watchlist: a queer romance that starts with W, a non-queer romance that starts with X, a biopic that starts with Y and we will finish this challenge with a comedy that starts with Z. I might have to change the order of genres if I can’t find that non-queer romance that starts with an X. Will cross that bridge when I get to it.