Augustin (1995)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Anne Fontaine

Writer:

Anne Fontaine (writer)

Release Date:

November 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Augustin Dos Santos is a benign simpleton with a slight stammer. He's serious about his part-time job as a clerk for an insurance company...

Cast

Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc	...	Augustin
Maggie Cheung	...	Ling
Stéphanie Zhang	...	Caroline
Guy Casabonne	...	Cyril Cachones
Darry Cowl	...	René
Bernard Campan	...	Boutinot
Nora Habib	...	Shula
Claude Pecher	...	M Poirer
James Lord	...	American Client
Jacqueline Vimpierre	...	Madam Balavoine
Rahim Mazioud	...	Maitre d'hotel
René Boulet	...	M. Linette
Thierry Lhermitte	...	Himself / En personne

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L

Company:

Cinéa

Movie Connections:

Features Tango (1993)

Bizarre one man show

In this short (1 hour) movie, Augustin (played by the uncommon Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc) is a strange fellow, a narrow-minded clerk in an insurance company, whose attempts at a better life (by becoming an actor, for instance) are bound to fail due to his warped understanding of the world : like the best comic characters, he just goes on and on with an autistic determination, until something breaks. The movie is shot in a documentary fashion, and the characters (sometimes playing themselves) react with the same puzzlement as they would do in real life, and the conflict between the realism of the situations and Augustin himself is what makes the movie work. Augustin is really a new comic type, reminding of the slapstick days. Because he's a real pest sometimes, he's hard to love as a character, but you're unlikely to forget him. Sibertin-Blanc, brother of director Anne Fontaine (known for more serious pieces like Nettoyage à Sec), revived Augustin in commercials, and in a sequel, "Augustin roi du Kung-Fu", where Augustin tries to become the next Jackie Chan (!)