Peau neuve (1999)

Alain tests video games. He's married, his wife Pascale loves him, and they have a spirited young daughter. But he's unhappy and wants a change, to what he's not sure. He quits. A job ... See full summary »

Director:

Emilie Deleuze

Writers:

Emilie Deleuze, Laurent Guyot

Stars:

Samuel Le Bihan, Marcial Di Fonzo Bo, Catherine Vinatier

4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Samuel Le Bihan	...	Alain
Marcial Di Fonzo Bo	...	Manu
Catherine Vinatier	...	Pascale
Claire Nebout	...	Isabelle
Fabien Lucciarini
Candice Dufour

Storyline

Alain tests video games. He's married, his wife Pascale loves him, and they have a spirited young daughter. But he's unhappy and wants a change, to what he's not sure. He quits. A job counselor suggests a training program operating bulldozers. They have casual sex; Pascale is unhappy with Alain's unfaithfulness. Alain enrolls in the training program: it's 18 weeks long and some distance from Paris, so he is home only on weekends. (He's a natural at operating bulldozers.) As his relationship with Pascale deteriorates, Alain befriends Manu, a young trainee who loves all things about bulldozers but is hopelessly inept at operating them. This friendship takes hold of Alain.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | paris france | husband wife relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

8 September 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

New Dawn

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), Conseil Général de la Corrèze, Haut et Court

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Curious non-gay story

A curious movie. Very French in that it is totally gay, yet that is never given in the film. A man (Le Bihan) grows tired of his life in Paris, quits his job, and enrolls in bulldozer school - where he meets a nice-looking but dim dweeb to whom he is inexplicably attracted. The rather butch wife becomes less & less important (she's also found someone else), and as time goes by, he becomes more and more involved in helping the dweeb cope with both life and school. No sex, not even a hint about what is going on, except for a shower scene where he allows the dweeb to be beaten, and some understated dialogue about "queers" from fellow students that is curiously ignored.

Le Bihan is marvelous as a man who doesn't know what is happening to him. He just can't figure it out - why this, why this guy, why these feelings. He copes, even at the end, and though nothing has ever been said, you know exactly what has happened. Depending on how you look at this film, either terribly simple, or terribly subtle. A good watch regardless.