Vendredi soir (2002)

Director:

Claire Denis

Writers:

Emmanuèle Bernheim (novel)
Emmanuèle Bernheim (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 September 2002 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Having packed up her possessions to move in with her lover, Laure is more unsettled than she appears...

Plot Keywords:

Traffic Jam | Stranger | Strike | Dinner | Minimalism

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Valérie Lemercier	...	Laure
Vincent Lindon	...	Jean
Hélène de Saint-Père	...	Marie
Hélène Fillières	...	La femme fatiguée
Florence Loiret	...	La jeune fille du flipper (as Florence Loiret-Caille)
Grégoire Colin	...	Le jeune homme en parka
Gilles D'Ambra	...	Le mari de la femme fatiguée
Micha Lescot	...	Le réceptionniste
Gianfranco Poddighe	...	Le maître d'hôtel
Nordine Barour	...	Le serveur
Lionel Goldstein	...	L'acheteur
Didier Woldemard	...	Le chauffeur de la camionnette
Nicolas Struve	...	L'homme de l'accrochage
Jérôme Pouly	...	Le deuxième homme de l'accrochage
Nausicaa Meyer	...	La femme de l'accrochage

Also Known As:

Friday Night (International: English title) (USA)
Paraskevi vrady (Greece) (festival title) [el]
Petek zvecer (Slovenia) [sl]
V pátek vecer (Czech Republic) [cs]

Runtime:

90 min | Canada:90 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Arena Films

It is life

This was a damn good movie. Very different, the closest movie that comes to the feel and over all effect is The Loss of Sexual Innocence. Movies such as this catch many off guard because they don't follow the de facto movie format. Meaning, an event happens, people react to said event, drama, conclusion, resolution.

This movie takes a totally different approach, and that's what makes it shine. This movie defies being labeled as a movie altogether. People say this movie is boring, that nothing happens, there are almost no words. They'd be right, there is no real drama, conclusion, resolution. I don't believe that's what this movie is even about.

From the opening moments of the Paris rooftops I knew I was in for something special. The long shots, the turning off of lights, the gazes at the Paris skyline. This was a visual feast with poetic credentials, and I expected as much.

Folks, this movie was not about Jean and Laure. I believe thats where all the critical flack stems from. This movie isn't about a brief encounter that is over by sunrise. The plot that you all speak of, that's secondary.

The movie tends to focus on their surroundings more so then them. A cluttered car, a heater, traffic, boxes. A best example of this is their skin, during the sex scenes there are close ups of their skin rather then showing them making love. As if the plot, in this case, making love, is secondary to the poetic element of the story.

In any given event, the surroundings are just as important as the story itself. This movie displays that perfectly. That is the purpose of this movie, that is it's beauty, that is what it is about.

If this movie is about the surroundings rather then a plot or story, then what would be the purpose of showing rooftops, skin, lamps, boxes? Because is it life, and it is poetic and beautiful. What is the purpose of a rose? Why take a picture of it, or give it to someone? A rose simply is, this movie simply is. The nuances of life deserve appreciation and this movie pays homage to that fact. That is what this movie is about.

It is life, it is the beauty of everything around you.