Friday Night (2002)

It's Friday night--she's moving in with her boyfriend tomorrow--so she goes out, but gets stuck in traffic--where she meets a handsome stranger.

Director:

Claire Denis

Writers:

Emmanuèle Bernheim (novel), Emmanuèle Bernheim (screenplay)

Stars:

Valérie Lemercier, Vincent Lindon, Hélène de Saint-Père

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Valérie Lemercier	...	Laure
Vincent Lindon	...	Jean
Hélène de Saint-Père	...	Marie
Hélène Fillières	...	La femme fatiguée
Florence Loiret Caille	...	La jeune fille du flipper (as Florence Loiret-Caille)
Grégoire Colin	...	Le jeune homme en parka
Gilles D'Ambra	...	Le mari de la femme fatiguée
Micha Lescot	...	Le réceptionniste
Gianfranco Poddighe	...	Le maître d'hôtel
Nordine Barour	...	Le serveur
Lionel Goldstein	...	L'acheteur
Didier Woldemard	...	Le chauffeur de la camionnette
Nicolas Struve	...	L'homme de l'accrochage
Jérôme Pouly	...	Le deuxième homme de l'accrochage
Nausicaa Meyer	...	La femme de l'accrochage

Storyline

Having packed up her possessions to move in with her lover, Laure is more unsettled than she appears. Needing to get out and have a change of scenery, she jumps in her car to go to have dinner with friends--only to become stuck in a terrible traffic jam. Laure completely forgot about the mass transit strike that has thrown the city into chaos. But Laure feels good in her car, the only place she has for herself right now. As she takes in the sights and sounds around her--the blare of horns and arguments, the shimmer of lights and camaraderie--Laure notices a calm and self-assured stranger, Jean, approach her car. Soon thereafter, she opens her car door door to the man who--that night--will change her life.

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Plot Keywords:

traffic jam | strike | stranger | dinner | sex scene | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

User Reviews

poetic, insightful, even humorous

This movie is not for the sort of casual movie-goer who must have a plot driven, dialogue heavy entertainment vehicle in order to be satisfied. This film is typical Denis: intensely visual, with sparse dialogue and a very minimal plot.

The premise of the film is a simple one. A woman about to move in with her lover is caught in a traffic jam during a Paris transit strike. She picks up a stranger, and they have a one-nighter.

The film's focus is the little things that make up sexual attraction, the situations, the glimpses, the attitudes, the predilections, etc. It manages to present this in an almost completely visual way without ever becoming dull, pretentious, or difficult to watch. The film has a minute logic to it which manages to pull the viewer along from scene to scene using humor, suspense, and a good deal of empathy for the central character.

This film invites one to reflect on the way in which sex relates to the variety of life's anxieties: anxieties over self-image, anxieties over one's future, anxieties over one's significance, etc. It also provides an interesting vantage point from which to view the over-romanticized over-serious status that sex is given in main-stream American cinema.

Go to this film with the intent of viewing a wonderful piece of art. There is some work required on the viewer's part, but it's worth the effort.

Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

11 September 2002 (France)

Also Known As:

Friday Night

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,381, 25 May 2003

Gross USA:

$156,918

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$609,542

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arena Films, Canal+, Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1