News from Planet Mars

The French are quite good at these subtle melancholic comedies, which are mostly funny because of the bizarre conflicts people get themselves into. This picture is about a nice and very kind man, who gets suckered into giving shelter to a mentally disturbed collegue who had accidentally attacked him with an axe at work. Yes, you read it correctly. Sounds bizarre, yet despite the (accidental) axe attack this kind and gentle father of two kids, decides to take the mentally disturbed collegue into his house anyway. Then (hilarious) troubling events start occuring when this mental patient starts taking over the household. The household disasters are building up in ever more hilarious severity.

The core of this story has a true to life ring to it, basically portraying (with witty detail) a divorced father, who is trying to raise his two teenage kids as good as he can. Things get really complicated though when the mentally disturbed collegue is overstaying his welcome in his house. Just a lovely quirky French melancholic comedy, best suited for an arthouse audience or for those who love this typical French kind of understated humor.