13 m2 (2007)
Directed by Barthélémy Grossmann

Crime / Drama / Thriller

Film Review

Abstract picture representing 13 m2 (2007)
13m2 is the latest in a seemingly endless series of films over the past decade or so to thrust into our faces stark visions of the ugly urban underbelly of French society, reminding us that, despite numerous political initiatives, things are not getting better for those at the bottom of the heap.  It has been well over a decade since Mathieu Kassovitz woke us all up to the escalating problems of social exclusion and racial tensions in inner cities with his startling film La Haine (1995), but these problems haven't gone away and seem only to have worsened - or so the latest generation of hot-headed young filmmakers will have us believe.

The hot-headed youngster behind this latest grim portrait of social deprivation and urban crime is Barthélémy Grossmann, who not only directs the film but also plays the leading role.  In what is his debut film, Grossmann shows immense promise both as a director and an actor, and succeeds admirably in getting across to his audience the bleakness of the lives of those unfortunates who have become, through no fault of their own, vermin that live off the putrid dregs of a soulless capitalist system. For some of these unfortunates, crime isn't a choice, it is necessary for survival.

The film has one or two inspired touches (such as the idea of letting us hear but not see the brutal robbery) but equally there are some careless artistic over-indulgences that cause you to grind your teeth in frustration (the over-use of fancy camera effects such as the fast zoom being a case in point).  13m2 is by no means perfect but it does provide a sobering reflection on the corrupting influence of money, as well as a reminder of the deeply fractured society that raw capitalism and countless failed government policies have brought into being.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.

Film Synopsis

Living in the rough suburbs of present-day Paris, José, Farouk and Réza are three wild young men who find life hard and increasingly precarious. To survive, they allow themselves to be drawn deeper and deeper into crime. Their most desperate act so far is to attack an armoured van and steal the cash it contains. Unfortunately, the robbery does no go quite as planned and the three friends are soon holed up in their tiny hide-out. There plan is to remain here until things have cooled down a bit. It isn't long before their self-inflicted imprisonment begins to have an effect on them. Their real enemy is not the police. It is themselves...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Barthélémy Grossmann
  • Script: Nagar Djavadi, Barthélémy Grossmann, Murielle Thierrin
  • Cinematographer: Colin Wandersman
  • Music: Sébastien Galiana
  • Cast: Barthélémy Grossmann (José), Lucien Jean-Baptiste (Farouk), Youssef Hajdi (Reza), Thierry Lhermitte (Solitaire), Bérénice Bejo (Sophie), Alain Figlarz (Lopez), Morgan Perez (Philippe), Eric Savin (Francis), Riza Yildiz (Barman PMU), Fabou Coulibaly (Molosse), Michael Chaplin (Barman bar), Laurent Zimmermann (Client bar), Jean-Paul Vero (Client bar), André Djento (Client bar ivre), Mickaël Delalande (Client bar), Jean-Pierre Prevotat (Client bar), Ludovic Pinette (Voix du journal télévisé), Bernard Cormerais (Policier uniforme), Lionel Latapie (Jeune), Jeff Louis Jean (Jeune)
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 84 min

The history of French cinema
sb-img-8
From its birth in 1895, cinema has been an essential part of French culture. Now it is one of the most dynamic, versatile and important of the arts in France.
The best French films of 2019
sb-img-28
Our round-up of the best French films released in 2019.
The best French films of 2018
sb-img-27
Our round-up of the best French films released in 2018.
Kafka's tortuous trial of love
sb-img-0
Franz Kafka's letters to his fiancée Felice Bauer not only reveal a soul in torment; they also give us a harrowing self-portrait of a man appalled by his own existence.
The very best of German cinema
sb-img-25
German cinema was at its most inspired in the 1920s, strongly influenced by the expressionist movement, but it enjoyed a renaissance in the 1970s.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright