Audience Member
Directors who are attempting to do genre mash-ups (and fail miserably) should watch Dead Man Talking. This 2012 Belgian comedy-drama film premiered at the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur on September 29, 2012 and has garnered accolades including eight Magritte Award nominations (winning Best Production Design) and Best Foreign Film nomination at the 39th César Awards. It may be his first full-length film, but Belgian director Patrick Ridremont manages to co-write and even play the lead in this comedy-drama. An audacious attempt, may not be entirely well received by all but I'm in awe.
A death row somewhere in a country with no name. Forty year-old William Lamers (Ridremont), condemned to death by lethal injection, finds himself at lost when he is asked if he has any last words. He is neither prepared nor bothered to protest, but you can tell he's definitely not at peace. He hesitated, then decides to talk about his life.By law, he is allowed to make a last statement but the law does not specify how long it can last. What seems to be another formality of the process in this decrepit prison, soon becomes a lengthy emotional roller-coaster for prison director Karl Raven (François Berléand) and guard Julius Lopez (Denis MPunga). As he narrates the monologue of his life, Lamers suddenly realizes that it will be his last ticket to stay alive for yet another day. This filibuster of telling his story to stay alive, quickly erupts into a political stunt engulfed in a media frenzy.
What an idea. Spinning a modern tale of Sheherazade, with a gutsy take by Ridremont in juggling comedy with drama. In the Arabic myth of One Thousand And One Nights, a king finds out one day that his first wife has been unfaithful to him, and he decides to marry a new virgin each day, only to behead the previous day's wife, so that she would not have a chance to be unfaithful. When the vizier's daughter Scheherazade is forced to be the next bride, she decides to beguile the king by telling him stories, only to stop in the middle of each night, so that she can survive another day to continue with her stories. Such is weaved into a modern fairy tale with a twist. When I say comedy and drama, you will get a good dose of each, carried out in fluid sequences with admirable dexterity by Ridremont. In this case, Lamers life story moves us as we follow his poignant trajectory back into his abusive childhood. As he shares his story each day, you will find yourself rooting for his survival. And when he is finally at peace and ready, you will be the one who's not. Raven and Lopez both have their own share of woe as well, as they are forced to confront their ghosts whilst they attempt their very best to execute the sentence and move on with their lives.
Dead Man Talking also strives in its cast, with just a few taking the main roles but yet such a colorful concoction of geniality, acridity, humor & noxiousness. Apart from Ridremont, Berléand and Mpunga, the rest of the cast's (Virginie Efira, Christian Marin, Jean-Luc Couchard and Olivier Leborgne) performances are all on the ball.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
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Audience Member
Du cinema belge qui ne dement pas sa reputation deshinibee face aux sujets difficiles. Helas ici le mix humour noir et humour plus iconoclaste ne prend pas toujours par abus d'une certaine naivete dans les situations et dans un discours qui ne parvient pas toujours a se detacher de la simple caricature sans trouver la profondeur necessaire pour faire naitre l'emotion...
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/15/23
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Audience Member
Touchant, intelligent et même drôle, desservie par d'excellents acteurs, un très bon film français loin du manichéisme habituel! A voir!
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/02/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Excellent film Belge. Scénario, Réal, Musique, Acteurs, Dialogues, image, humour et profondeur des sujets abordés, même si il y a à prendre et à jeter, c'est en majorité du très bon. Un super Berléant mais surtout Bravo Patrick Ridremont (Real/Acteur)
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/13/23
Full Review
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