The Minister (2011)
"L'exercice de l'État" (original title)

Director:

Pierre Schoeller

Writer:

Pierre Schoeller

Stars:

Olivier Gourmet, Michel Blanc, Zabou Breitman

5 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Olivier Gourmet	...	Bertrand Saint-Jean
Michel Blanc	...	Gilles
Zabou Breitman	...	Pauline
Laurent Stocker	...	Yan (as Laurent Stocker de la Comédie Française)
Sylvain Deblé	...	Martin Kuypers
Didier Bezace	...	Dominique Woessner
Jacques Boudet	...	Le sénateur Juillet
François Chattot	...	Le ministre de la Santé, Falconetti
Gaëtan Vassart	...	Loïk
Arly Jover	...	Séverine Saint jean
Eric Naggar	...	Le Premier ministre
Anne Azoulay	...	Josepha
Abdelhafid Metalsi	...	Louis do
Christian Vautrin	...	Nemrod
François Vincentelli	...	Le ministre du Budget, Peralta

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

communications expert | fatal accident | french politics | erection | political manipulation | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

26 October 2011 (France)

Also Known As:

The Minister

Filming Locations:

Autoroute A406, Mâcon, Saône-et-Loire, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Archipel 35, Les Films du Fleuve, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

A species on the verge of extinction

L'execice de L'etat is like a species on the verge of extinction. You don't know much about its existence until you realize it is one of kind. You try to remember if you have ever seen something similar, but very little comes close. And because you feel this species may vanish away sometime soon, you grow fond of it. Like pandas, it is a creature you care about, and it would be too bad if they simply disappear. But make no mistake - this movie is no panda, an alligator would be more appropriate, and that's exactly what you see when the movie starts. You wonder why, but this film does not offer easy answers. You must go on and find them yourself, and this is what most delighted me. Watching this film made me feel like an outside, after all, it's about politics. But the more in doubt, the more excited I was. And it made more and more sense when I started thinking about the recent carnage for power in the American presidential campaign, the economic and political warzone in the European Union. This film is a rare opportunity to peep in behind the doors of political exercise nowadays. However, it is more than a lesson. Olivier Gourmet is formidable and you know he achieved something big. Politicians don't enjoy any popularity nowadays, but his minister is still fascinating even after causing a casualty that is cruelly exposed to our eyes. And despite his survival-of-the-fittest manner, you may approval some of his principles in the end. L'execise de L'etat is indeed a rare film. It did not make me laugh, it did not make me cry, it just made me think, which is a great achievement in movies nowadays, unfortunately.