En ville (2011) Directed by Valérie Mréjen, Bertrand Schefer
Drama
aka: Iris in Bloom
Film Review
The feature debut from the unlikely partnership of writer-artist
Valérie Mréjen and philosopher Bertrand Schefer is a
strangely elusive study in middleclass ennui that proves to be as
frustratingly vague and listless as it sounds. Through the
hesitant relationship between a middle-aged photographer (Stanislas
Merhar) and a young arts student (Lola Créton), which presumably
mirrors that of the film's two authors, En ville evokes the spiritual and
emotional wilderness which characterises our present era and which only
art, in its various manifestations, can save us from. Feeling
like a short film that has been stretched too far into a full-length
feature, En ville fights an
uphill battle to maintain the viewer's interest and ultimately fails,
although it clearly has something valid to say about the arid nature of
life as experienced by most affluent people in the developed West
today. Virtually absent from our screens for much of the past
decade, Stanislas Merhar has matured into a fine actor perfectly suited
to intimate auteur dramas of this kind - his subdued but powerfully
expressive performance is the film's main asset. Comparative
newcomer Lola Créton also shows considerable promise and looks
set for better things, if the charismatic presence and acting skill she
offers up in this film are anything to go by.
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Film Synopsis
Iris, 16, lives in a small provincial town. Here, she meets Jean,
a 40-something photographer from Paris. They strike up an
immediate rapport and begin to nurture a friendship that will transform
both of their lives...
Cast: Lola Créton (Iris),
Stanislas Merhar (Jean),
Adèle Haenel (Isabelle),
Valérie Donzelli (Monika),
Ferdinand Régent (Alexandre),
Barthélémy Guillemard (L'ami confident),
Antoine Chappey (L'homme du bar de nuit),
Marilyne Canto (La mère d'Alexandre),
Serge Renko (Le père d'Iris),
Frédéric Pierrot (Le père d'Alexandre),
Pascal Cervo (L'ami de passage),
Michèle Moretti (La mère de Jean),
Stéphane Bouquet (Le professeur),
Gaëlle Obiégly (La convive),
Thomas Clerc (Le convive),
Christophe Wavelet (Le dandy),
Françoise Cousin (La femme du bar),
Katia Beaudufe (L'employée du train),
Bertrand Schefer (Jérémie),
Gilles Geenen (Gérald - le comédien)
Country: France
Language: French
Support: Color
Runtime: 75 min
Aka:Iris in Bloom
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