Friday Night (2002)

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 ... See full summary »

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

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:

$11,891, 26 May 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$156,918, 2 November 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arena Films, Canal+, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Warning: do not watch this film if you have no imagination!

This film resists all that is wrong with blockbuster cinema, totally refusing to offer straight-forward, passivity-inducing narrative structures. It is one of the most book-like films you are likely to see, taking its time to develop the central characters in manner that leaves them open to determination by the audience's imagination. It is an erotic film that has no climax. It is a film that engages in life rather than distracts us from it.

This is an immensely subtle film that uses a broad range of cinematic techniques so you should definitely see it on a big screen. In fact, I wouldn't even bother seeing it on TV, so diminished would its impact be.