In balance
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | In balance |
| Original title | En équilibre |
| Country of production | France |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 2015 |
| length | 87 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 6 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Denis Dercourt |
| script | Denis Dercourt |
| production |
Eric Altmayer , Nicolas Altmayer , Isabelle Grellat |
| music | Jérôme Lemonnier |
| camera | Julien Hirsch |
| cut | Pauline Gaillard |
| occupation | |
| |
In equilibrium (Original title: En équilibre ) is a French film drama directed by Denis Dercourt from 2015 with Albert Dupontel and Cécile de France in the leading roles.
action
Marc Guermont is a very busy stuntman and horse trainer until his horse Othello throws him off while making a period film and breaks his back with an unfortunate kick of his hoof. Marc returns to his farm in Brittany in a wheelchair , where he is warmly received by friends. When the damage inspector Florence Kernel, who was entrusted with his case by the insurance company, pays him a visit, he declines her offer to pay him 250,000 euros. He is convinced that he is entitled to far more compensation. Florence reminds him that the insurance company, without being obliged to do so, has already paid him money for the wheelchair-accessible renovation of his house. He shouldn't hesitate too long to accept the offer, otherwise the case will end up in court and he won't get any money for many years as a result.
When Marc receives a new car that he can drive even with his paraplegia , Florence stops by again. She was obliged to accompany him on his first trip. After a rapid drive, during which Marc doesn't shy away from risking an accident, Florence tries again to convince Marc of her offer. Florence, who was instructed by her boss to get Marc to sign the necessary papers as soon as possible, finally makes the flimsy argument that Marc took ill-considered risks in his stunt. Marc then leaves her standing on the edge of a field and races away furiously.
Florence's boss continues to put pressure on her and decides to stop making advance payments to Marc. At the suggestion of a colleague to use her femininity, Florence appears less strictly dressed and with hair loose on Marc's farm. Since she brought Marc a CD with piano pieces by Franz Liszt as a gift , the recordings of which are better than the ones she discovered on his shelf on her first visit, she also tells him that she actually wanted to be a pianist, but during an exam failed and then gave up her dream. Marc, who cannot understand how Florence could give up the music and end up with an insurance company, finally brings her to Othello's stable, where he carefully leads her to the horse. However, when he suggests riding Othello, Florence is reluctant to get involved. She is afraid of the big animal and begins to curse Marc when he uses his commands to get the horse to perform a piaffe . Florence is only slowly able to relax and enjoy riding at Marc's instructions.
When Florence returns home and finds her husband Julien and their two children watching TV, she withdraws and sits down at her piano, which she usually only uses to teach her less ambitious daughter to play the piano. Now she starts playing again herself and decides to take piano lessons from her old professor again. Marc already owes his colleague Antoine, who looks after Othello, two months' salary, and he can no longer finance the renovation of his house. While trying to ride on Othello, he falls and is seriously injured. Florence then wants to visit him in the hospital, but sees a woman in his room, who is his good friend Alexandra, and leaves again without stopping by. When Marc returns from the hospital, Othello is no longer in his stable. Antoine hid the stallion with a friend because a court wanted to take the horse away from Marc. At a meeting with Florence he was inevitably ready to accept the insurance company's offer. Florence, who is no longer responsible for his case on the instructions of her boss, finally gives him the number of her old college friend Catherine, who is a very good lawyer.
Marc seeks out the lawyer who assures him that the arguments of the insurance company are unfounded and only served to intimidate him. However, his chances of winning in court would be increased if he could prove that insurance had put him under pressure. As is customary in the industry, Florence certainly recorded the conversations with Marc. Marc therefore asks Florence to record their conversations. Florence then confronts her friend Catherine, irritated about her illegal proposal, but ultimately decides to give Marc her cell phone with the recordings. She drives to him the following night. She puts her cell phone in his house and finds Marc sleeping in his bed. When he suddenly grabs her arm, they kiss and spend the night together. The next day they visit Marc's friends together, take a motorboat along the coast and spend a happy time together. Before Florence drives home crying in her car, Marc gives her cell phone back. He doesn't want to use it in court. Florence instead gives it to Catherine and subsequently loses her job. After Marc bought a quad bike from the compensation he has received in the meantime , he learns from Florence's husband that she has been fired and tries in vain to contact her.
A year later, Florence works in a library. When she got home, her daughter was watching television and happened to turn on a broadcast of the annual dressage riding . Florence Marc watches with emotion as he rides an excellent freestyle on Othello. Weeping, she sits down at her piano and plays a piece by Liszt on Marc's mailbox, which the latter pays attention to after his freestyle. Florence finally takes an exam for piano and plays to the examination board with determination and freedom.
background
The film was inspired by the autobiographical book Sur mes quatre jambes by the former stuntman Bernard Sachsé (* 1964), who has been paraplegic since a riding accident in 1994. The shooting, assisted by Bernard Sachsé as technical and artistic advisor, took place in Brittany. In the Ille-et-Vilaine department , the communities of Saint-Suliac and Miniac-Morvan (Marc's farm) were used as film locations. In the Loire-Atlantique department , the film was shot in the forest of Le Gâvre , in the Quai des Arts cultural center in Pornichet , in Le Croisic , in the hospital and in the market hall of Saint-Nazaire , in La Baule-Escoublac , in Batz-sur-Mer , in Malville and in Saint-Brevin-les-Pins , where the scenes were shot in which Marc did stunts on his horse on the beach. The riding stunts were filmed last and carried out by leading actor Albert Dupontel himself, following instructions from Bernard Sachsé. Brigitte Brassart was responsible for the production design. Catherine Boisgontier designed the costumes .
Cécile de France learned to play the piano for her role, which turned out to be a “real challenge” for her. The piano piece played several times in Florence's film is Chasse neige , the 12th étude from Franz Liszt's piano cycle Études d'exécution transcendante . The recordings were made by the Swiss pianist Mélodie Zhao , among others . Other pieces of music played in the film were the tenth movement from Mussorgski's piano cycle Pictures at an Exhibition , Le Rappel des Oiseaux from the suite in E minor by Jean-Philippe Rameau written for harpsichord and the concert waltz Valse triste by Jean Sibelius , which can be heard during Marc's dressage freestyle is. The piano piece played by Florence at the end of the film, on the other hand, is part of the film music by Jérôme Lemonnier .
In Equilibrium , it premiered on April 15, 2015 in France, where the film, which had a budget of 7.6 million euros, had 543,200 viewers. In Germany, the film was first released in the original version with German subtitles on June 30, 2016.
Reviews
Le Parisien praised the "perfectly written script" and "the astonishing achievements" of the two leading actors. The music presented is "inseparable from the power and emotion" conveyed by "this beautiful film", which is probably due to the fact that the director himself was "a virtuoso violinist". Le Monde wrote that Albert Dupontel, like Gérard Depardieu , was one of the few French actors who could put his stamp on a certain genre and show presence and character without letting it look too forced. Cécile de France could assert himself against him "with naturalness and elegance". The plot is "not free from clichés" and the staging is not particularly original, but the film could convince on an emotional level and make you laugh when, for example, Florence rides Othello in high heels.
L'Express found that “the expected duel” between the initially “rugged and cynical” Albert Dupontel and the initially “cold and determined” Cécile de France was missing. The film avoids the pitfalls of a tearful and cliché-laden confrontation between its protagonists and instead takes on human relationships in a relaxed manner. It is "finely told" and provided with small, "but essential supporting roles" that are needed to create an atmosphere. The result was "another good film by Denis Dercourt". After films like The Girl Who Turns the Pages Is In Balance "a small solid and very personal work" by the director.
“Thanks to a tight script and two stunning, nuanced performances, this is an exciting, unconventional love story,” said the Chicago Reader . Dupontel shines in "a fearless, physical role"; towards him de France shows “the power of dramatic restraint”. According to the Guardian , the performers are "undoubtedly magnetic." The stunts are "impressive" and everything goes "at a manageable pace".
Web links
- In balance in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- In equilibrium at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- In equilibrium on allocine.fr (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Release certificate for In balance . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 160264 / K).
- ↑ a b Cf. Bernard Sachsé, son livre a inspiré le film “En équilibre” . Interview on francetvinfo.fr, April 23, 2015.
- ^ Thomas Destouches: Cécile de France: pour En équilibre, “la musique m'a habité pendant 5 mois” . Interview on allocine.fr, April 15, 2015.
- ↑ cf. jpbox-office.com
- ↑ cf. filmstarts.de
- ↑ “[V] oilà un scénario parfaitement écrit et dialogué auquel s'ajoutent les performances épatantes d'Albert Dupontel […] et celles de Cécile de France […]. La présence de la musique est d'ailleurs inséparable de la force et de l'émotion que ce très beau film dégage. Et pour cause, le réalisateur a lui-même été un violonist virtuoso. ” Pierre Vavasseur: “En équilibre”: en selle! . In: Le Parisien , April 15, 2015.
- ↑ “Cécile de France […] trouve sa place avec naturel et élégance. [...] non exempt de clichés. " Franck Nouchi: “En équilibre”: Albert Dupontel murmure à l'oreille des chevaux . In: Le Monde , April 11, 2015.
- ↑ “Lui est bourru et cynique […]. Elle est froide et déterminée […]. Le duel attendu entre ces deux pointures n'aura pourtant pas lieu. […] C'est finement raconté, […] agrémenté de seconds rôles discrets mais indispensables, avec ce qu'il faut d'humour pour détendre l'atmosphère. Soit un bon film de plus à l'actif de Denis Dercourt. [...] ce réalisateur, ex-violonist, construit une petite oeuvre solide et très personnelle. " Christophe Carrière: Albert Dupontel, cavalier “En Equilibre” . In: L'Express , April 15, 2015.
- ^ "Thanks to a taut script and two stunning, nuanced performances, this is a tense, unconventional love story. Dupontel excels in a fearless, physical role, whereas De France demonstrates the power of dramatic restraint. " Adam Morgan: In Harmony . In: Chicago Reader , March 3, 2016.
- ↑ "[T] he actors are undeniably magnetic, the stunt work is duly impressive, and it all trots along at manageable pace." Leslie Felperin: En Equilibre review - horsing around with Gallic grace . In: The Guardian , August 27, 2015.