The Big Picture (2010)

Paul Exben is a success story - partner in one of Paris's most exclusive law firms, big salary, big house, glamorous wife and two sons straight out of a Gap catalog. But when he finds out ... See full summary »

Director:

Eric Lartigau

Writers:

Eric Lartigau (scenario, adaptation and dialogue), Laurent de Bartillat (scenario, adaptation and dialogue)

Stars:

Romain Duris, Marina Foïs, Niels Arestrup

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Romain Duris	...	Paul Exben
Marina Foïs	...	Sarah Exben
Niels Arestrup	...	Bartholomé
Branka Katic	...	Ivana
Catherine Deneuve	...	Anne
Eric Ruf	...	Grégoire Kremer
Enzo Caçote	...	Hugo Exben
Luka Antic	...	Baptiste
Rachel Desmarest	...	Fiona Exben (as Rachel Berger)
Esteban Carvajal-Alegria	...	Valéry Grey (as Esteban Carvajal Alegria)
Florence Muller	...	Clarisse
Jean-Paul Bathany	...	Jean-Claude
Carole Weiss	...	Annie
Philippe Dusseau	...	Emmanuel
Olivier Rogers	...	Pierre

Storyline

Paul Exben is a success story - partner in one of Paris's most exclusive law firms, big salary, big house, glamorous wife and two sons straight out of a Gap catalog. But when he finds out that Sarah, his wife, is cheating on him with Greg Kremer, a local photographer, a rush of blood provokes Paul into a fatal error. Standing over the corpse of his wife's lover, Paul knows that his perfect life has gone for good. But by assuming the dead man's identity and fleeing for an isolated part of former Yugoslavia on the beautiful Adriatic coast, Paul gets another shot at being himself and, at last, seeing the big picture.

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Plot Keywords:

starting a new life from scratch | fleeing the country | based on novel | former yugoslavia | photographer | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Europa Corp. [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French Serbian English

Release Date:

12 October 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Czlowiek, który chcial zyc swoim zyciem

Filming Locations:

17 Avenue de La Motte-Picquet, Paris 7, Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,760, 14 October 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$158,411, 16 December 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

EuropaCorp, TF1 Films Production, CiBy 2000

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Professional photographer Antoine d'Agata took the photos used in this film. Marina Foïs, who plays Sarah Exben in the film, had a postcard of Antoine d'Agata's work. She showed the postcard to the director, Eric Lartigau, who is also her husband.

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Goofs

As Paul watches from the shore, the sound and light from the explosion of his sailboat (on the horizon), reach him nearly simultaneously. At the height Paul was sitting, the horizon was roughly 5 miles away and the sound would take over 20 seconds to reach him, while the light would reach him almost instantly.

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Quotes

Paul Exben: What are you doing here?
Bartholomé: I'm sorry, I was in the mood for a little beer.
Paul Exben: Anyone else, besides me, likes beer.
Bartholomé: Sure, anyone else likes it, but I wanted to have a drink with you.

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Soundtracks

Fly to the Moon
Written by Aaron Wheeler / Jayme Tovey
Editions Juice Music - K Music

User Reviews

One of TIFF 2010's best!

I saw this film at the 2010 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, and it was a pleasant surprise.

Great performances, tightly directed, and a very compelling storyline, in addition to a being beautifully shot and using some great Magnum Photos in the film as part of the main character's unexpected shift into a new world and a new life.

Based on the American writer Douglas Kennedy's acclaimed book of the same name, but changed to a Euro setting, director Eric Lartigau easily shows how European filmmakers can take the themes of murder, obsession and identity to new artistic heights, while also giving us one of the best thrillers of 2010. It's a thriller as cinematic art as only the Europeans can do.

The film might not have gotten as much attention as other films at TIFF 2010, but it definitely should. I truly hope it gets a wider release here in Canada and elsewhere.

Seek it out. Decidedly worthwhile.