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

Sadly beautiful

Claire Denis' films may look slick to the jaundiced American audiences, since many fashion and advertising makers employ devices that create Denis-esque effects. Beau Travail was unfortunately evocative of Bruce Webers' damp pretty man ad campaigns and books, yet the power of the film remained when the memory of the packaging had faded.

This film was beautiful to my innocent eye, as it wistfully, abstractly spreads out night-time Paris as a diorama into which drivers and passengers are thrown during a harrowing transit strike. The intimacy that occurs in the film between strangers is intensely depicted - close close close and the camera - as with Beau Travail - is genius. The film made me sad to consider the sense of loneliness inside of that city and my own during the night, yet I am pleased to have seen such a lovely rendering of that idea. I saw the film last night and the pictures are still downloading inside today, my mark of great films.

Finally, THANK YOU Claire Denis for never being ponderously intellectual during appearances and for not feeling that you need 3 hour films to make art. This film - in less than 90 minutes - is more profound than any of the 3 hour French films made.

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