Le grand jeu

I did not expect too much from this French movie. It begins like a political intrigue when a middle aged novelist is contacted by a mysterious man, played by André Dussolier, who proposes him to write a book against a main politician, then the film continues with a sort of philosophical and intellectual message when the novelist fears for his own life and escapes in the country side, among an outcasts community - left winged community, of course. This film is a kind of existentialist tale about the meaning of the human fight to save his rights against oppression. Those who have known May 1968 revolution in France will appreciate. But this scheme is full of bitterness. The first minutes of the film are not explained. Who is the man abducted by the others? This is not a bad film, but certainly not for wide audiences. Whilst I watched it, I thought of another french feature: L'EXERCICE DE L'ETAT. But at a lasser scale.

_Le Grand Jeu_ is slow-burn political thriller about aging but political ambitious Joseph Paskin (Andre Dussolier) manipulating a failed novelist Pierre Blum (Melvil Poupaud) into shady publishing activities. The backlash sees both threatened with extreme violence. Blum used to be a novelist and idealistic revolutionary who has since lost his faith, his soul. He lives in perpetual ironic detachment until spurred into action by first Paskin, and later social activist Laura Haydon (Clemence Poesy who harbors him in her commune). Betrayal and lots of deaths follow.

I just happened to be reading a lot of the New York Times commentaries by people who must be like Blum, deeply disillusioned by the way society has gone and who became bitter nihilists, so this is a poignant and timely film to watch. Blum finds his salvation in Laura, jaded and world-weary activist who has stuck to her gun. The understated Clemence Poesy, in a limited role, gives one of the greatest performances of her career. Her long heart-to-heart conversation with Blum, filled with the wisdom that comes with age but also pregnant with romantic longing barely held at bay, alone makes this film worth watching. Her fiery gaze while listening to Blum's wife pleads his case, not saying a word but revealing everything with her eyes, is just as memorable.

The writing is excellent and the film-making more than adequate. Director Nicolas Pariser won Prix Louis Delluc "best first film" for this. Despite being a self-styled Francophile I have not heard of this prize before. Searching on Wikipedia I realize it is probably the most impressive film award I have ever know. More than half the films which have won the main prize have gone on to be recognized as all-time classics.

The intellectual-political setting of the film perhaps begs comparison with Arnaud Desplechin, but Pariser has far less navel-gazing tendency, and far better taste in female characters. Instead of the bimbos and ditzy neurotics who populate Desplechin's films, Pariser's heroines seem to have great conviction and are agents of their own fate. I have so far only seen _The Great Game_, but Anais Demoustier won a Cesar for _Alice and the Mayor_, and Pariser's new film _The Green Perfume_ stars Sandrine Kiberlain. I'm completely sold! It is so thrilling to discover new talent in the obscure corners of streaming services.

This movie "Le Grand Jeu" is an interesting labyrinth in the french world of political and administrative manipulation. But the script is not really clear enough, it doesn't reach the ultimate highlights of Costa-Gavras or André Cayatte. Nicolas Meriser gets lost in his subject without taking off. But it's getting better than his short movies, like "la République" or "Agit Pop" which are ridiculous in their demonstration with absolutely no conviction. In these three movies I've seen, settings and photography are rather poor.