Augustin

In this short (1 hour) movie, Augustin (played by the uncommon Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc) is a strange fellow, a narrow-minded clerk in an insurance company, whose attempts at a better life (by becoming an actor, for instance) are bound to fail due to his warped understanding of the world : like the best comic characters, he just goes on and on with an autistic determination, until something breaks. The movie is shot in a documentary fashion, and the characters (sometimes playing themselves) react with the same puzzlement as they would do in real life, and the conflict between the realism of the situations and Augustin himself is what makes the movie work. Augustin is really a new comic type, reminding of the slapstick days. Because he's a real pest sometimes, he's hard to love as a character, but you're unlikely to forget him. Sibertin-Blanc, brother of director Anne Fontaine (known for more serious pieces like Nettoyage à Sec), revived Augustin in commercials, and in a sequel, "Augustin roi du Kung-Fu", where Augustin tries to become the next Jackie Chan (!)