Le petit lieutenant (2005)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Xavier Beauvois

Writers:

Cédric Anger (writer)
Xavier Beauvois (writer)

Release Date:

16 November 2005 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

A rookie policeman from provincial Le Havre volunteers for the high pressure Parisian homicide bureau and is assigned to a middle-aged woman detective.

Plot Keywords:

Le Havre | Homicide | Police Procedure | Russian Immigrant | Recovering Alcoholic

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Nathalie Baye	...	Commandant Caroline "Caro" Vaudieu
Jalil Lespert	...	Antoine Derouère
Roschdy Zem	...	Solo
Antoine Chappey	...	Louis Mallet
Jacques Perrin	...	Le juge Serge Clermont
Bruce Myers	...	L'Anglais
Patrick Chauvel	...	Le lieutenant Patrick Belval
Jean Lespert	...	M. Derouère, le père d'Antoine
Annick Le Goff	...	Mme Derouère, la mère d'Antoine
Bérangère Allaux	...	Julie Derouère, la femme d'Antoine
Mireille Franchino	...	Mireille, la logeuse
Yaniss Lespert	...	Alex Derouère, le frère d'Antoine (as Yanis Lespert)
Xavier Beauvois	...	Nicolas Morbé
Philippe Lecompt	...	Armurier
Pierre Aussedat	...	Commissaire

Also Known As:

The Young Lieutenant (International: English title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

France

Language:

Polish | Russian | French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Sweden:11 | USA:Unrated | France:U | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Aéroport Nice-Côte d'Azur, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Why Not Productions

Trivia:

Visa d'exploitation en France #111314

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Reflected in window as Vaudieu and Solo exit the church.

Quotes:

Mireille, la logeuse: [after Antoine introduces himself as Lieutenant Derouère] These days, it's "Lieutenant" and "Captain." It's too much like the Army. Not that I don't like the Army, but "Monsieur l'Inspecteur"... It makes me think of Maigret...

Movie Connections:

References Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

living with the loss

As in previous Beauvois' movies, this film is about loss. The loss is everywhere in the movie : the loss of the dead child of the main female character, the loss of a normal couple life for the "petit lieutenant" and, finally, his loss. What makes the movie so interesting is the way in which it uses the form of the cope movie (film noir) as a way to reflect the hardships of living with the memory of the dead, to go on while things are forever changed by their disappearance. At the same time, the form of the cope movie is more than a mere pretext: the director is very much at ease with the conventions of the genre and is very skillful at going beyond by adding stunning realistic elements. There is no heroism there, only gloom and despair. No big man hunt, but a very trivial one. A very good movie. A must see for lovers of french film noir.