J'ai toujours rêvé d'être un gangster

Four stories of wannabe criminals attempting to improve the lot in life through illegal activities, and fumbling it with various degrees of success. But every character here is sympathetic, and their reasons are presented from a viewpoint of empathy. Despite the rhythm never too tight, and occasionally positively glacial, it's actually very funny, inviting us to linger on the facial expressions, the gestures, the little details. Jean Rochefort and Laurent Terzieff, Arno Hintjens and Alain Bashung are spectacular. You can detect influences as varied as Tarantino, Kaurismaki, Jarmusch, and the French crime serials of the silent era. The result is oddly uplifting and very entertaining.