Avant l'aube (2011)

Director:

Raphaël Jacoulot

Writers:

Lise Macheboeuf (scenario) &
Raphaël Jacoulot (scenario)

Release Date:

2 March 2011 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Frederic is a young man in social rehabilitation. He has just found a night internship, in an isolated hotel in the mountains when...

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Mountain | Rehabilitation | Video Game | Resort Hotel

Cast

Jean-Pierre Bacri	...	Jacques Couvreur
Vincent Rottiers	...	Frédéric Boissier
Ludmila Mikaël	...	Michèle Couvreur
Sylvie Testud	...	L'inspectrice de police Sylvie Poncet
Céline Sallette	...	Julie Couvreur
François Perrot	...	Paul Couvreur
Xavier Robic	...	Arnaud Couvreur
India Hair	...	Maud
Pierre-Félix Gravière	...	Olivier
Marc Brunet	...	Le capitaine de gendarmerie Barthod
Nicolas Jouhet	...	Henri
Marc Saez	...	Raphaël Cassany
Philippe Vendan-Borin	...	L'assistant de Sylvie
Priscilla Attal-Sfez	...	Sandrine (as Priscilla Attal)
Patrick Hastert	...	Jacky
Violette Campo	...	Une lingère
Corinne Marsollier	...	Une lingère
Christian Cazenave	...	Le cuisinier
Joël Delsaut	...	Le premier technicien en identification criminelle 1
Christophe Hauret-Clos	...	Le second technicien en identification criminelle 2
Véronique Fauconnet	...	La fleuriste
Yannick Géraud	...	Le veilleur de nuit de l'hôtel d' Andorre
Victoire Metzler	...	La réceptionniste de jour
Camille Saint-Martin	...	Un copain de Maud
Melha Bossard	...	La femme au petit déjeuner (as Melha Mammeri-Bossard)
Colette Kieffer	...	La patronne du bar
Philippe Roux	...	Le barman
Igor Marcassus	...	Le jeune homme du mariage
Jérôme Mayoux	...	Le maître d'hôtel
Mégane Fabre	...	Une serveuse
Fanny Troussicot	...	Une serveuse
Militza Gorbatchevsky	...	Une serveuse
Olivia Kerverdo	...	Une serveuse
Robin Vies	...	Un veilleur de nuit
Julien Lacaze	...	La doublure de Frédéric
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Claude Breda	...	(uncredited)
Jean-Yves Freyburger	...	Un dîneur au restaurant (uncredited)

Directed by
Raphaël Jacoulot

Writing credits
Lise Macheboeuf		(scenario) &
Raphaël Jacoulot		(scenario)

Produced by
Dominique Besnehard	....	producer
Anne Derré	....	producer
Michel Feller	....	producer
Nicolas Steil	....	producer

Original Music by
André Dziezuk

Cinematography by
Benoît Chamaillard

Film Editing by
Myriam Strugalla

Casting by
Christel Baras
Jérémie Santander
Bernard Savin Pascaud
Katja Wolf

Production Design by
Denis Renault

Costume Design by
Judy Shrewsbury

Makeup Department
Fabienne Adam	....	key makeup artist
Olivier Chauzy	....	hair stylist
Véronique Delmestre	....	makeup artist
Laurence Masin	....	makeup artist
Sabine Pollet	....	hair stylist
Céline Vh	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Jesus Gonzalez	....	production manager
Jesus Gonzalez-Elvira	....	production manager
Varujan Gumusel	....	post-production manager
Philippe Roux	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Delphine Daull	....	first assistant director
Yves de Chalonge	....	assistant director
Renaud Epelboin	....	second assistant director
Thanos Goltsos	....	third assistant director
Estelle Gérard	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Thomas Ferrandis	....	carpenter
Delphine Houdas	....	carpenter
Marine Israel	....	assistant art director
Hélène Maroutian	....	props buyer
François Mast	....	carpenter
Vincent Panossian	....	property master
Stephane Perazzi	....	assistant art director
Barbara Prati	....	property master

Sound Department
Pia Dumont	....	sound editor
Frank Flies	....	boom operator
Michel Monier	....	dolby consultant
Michel Schillings	....	sound re-recording mixer
Carlo Thoss	....	sound mixer
Nicolas Tran Trong	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Hubert Devinck	....	special effects technician
Philippe Hubin	....	special effects supervisor
Denis Le Doyen	....	special effects technician
Jean-Christophe Magnaud	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Stephane Bidault	....	visual effects supervisor
Olivier Blanchet	....	lead digital compositor
Aurélien Grand	....	retouch and restoration
Paul Moriaux	....	digital artist
Bruno Nicolas	....	visual effects artist
Amélie Rey	....	visual effects
Adrien Servadio	....	digital artist

Stunts
Jean-Louis Bonnet	....	stunts
Dominique Fouassier	....	stunt coordinator
Gérard Kuhnl	....	stunts
Roland Neunreuther	....	stunt driver
Olivier Picot	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Camille Bonin	....	grip
Renaud Charlier	....	grip
Fanny Coustenoble	....	second assistant camera operator
Fanny Coustenoble	....	steadicam operator
Cyril Dupont	....	electrician
Olivier Koos	....	additional camera second assistant
Patrick Muller	....	still photographer
Jean-Baptiste Thibaud	....	steadicam operator
Carlo Thiel	....	first assistant camera operator
Ricardo Vaz Palma	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Christophe Hauret-Clos	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marine Demoury	....	wardrobe
Jette Kraghede	....	costumer
Lydia Marchand	....	wardrobe
Kim Nguyen	....	wardrobe
Peggy Wurth	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Marc Recchia	....	editor
Christine Szymkowiak	....	colorist

Transportation Department
Gaby Meyers	....	facility/truck driver

Other crew
Tony Arnoux	....	press attache
Jérémie Chevret	....	location manager
Jonathan Christoph	....	location manager
Solveig Harper	....	production administrator
Sophie Heurzeau	....	production assistant
Tiago Hof	....	location manager
Antoine Le Carpentier	....	production assistant
Philippe Letode	....	location manager
Steve Mannes	....	location manager
Campos Marianne	....	production secretary
Stéphanie Mengel	....	location manager
David Mouraire	....	financial director
Maria Moutot-Tolomio	....	location manager (as Maria Moutot)
Jim Probyn	....	location scouting
Rose Putz-Assa	....	production accountant
André-Paul Ricci	....	press attache
Clémentine Schaeffer	....	script supervisor
Alexandra Schumann	....	production coordinator
Christophe Vincent	....	location manager
Cedric Brelet von Sydow	....	making-of director
Amelie Vrla	....	production assistant
Marie-Hélène Zahra	....	production administrator

Production Companies

• Mon Voisin Productions (co-production)
• Iris Productions (co-production)
• TF1 Droits Audiovisuels (co-production)
• UGC Images (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• France 3 Cinéma (co-production)
• France Télévision (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)
• Région Midi-Pyrénées (participation)
• Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• Fonds National de Soutien à la Production Audiovisuelle du Luxembourg (participation)
• Sofica Valor 8 (in association with)
• Banque Postale Image 3, La (in association with)
• Uni Étoile 7 (in association with)
• Soficinéma 6 (in association with)

Distributors

• TF1 International (2011) (worldwide) (all media)
• UGC Distribution (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Benelux Film Distributors (2011) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Pathé Films (2011) (Switzerland) (theatrical) (French speaking region)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Film1 (2012) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• TF1 Vidéo (2011) (France) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Aerial Camera Systems  helicopter gyrostabilized camera system
• Cinéstéréo  optical transfer (as Ciné Stéréo)
• Location Consulting & Facilities  facility vehicles
• M.O. Pour Mot  sound post-production (as Mot pour M.O.)
• Philophon  sound post-production
• Rageman  poster & artwork
• Sonia Tout Court  trailer
• Transpalux  lighting equipment

Also Known As:

"The Night Clerk" - Canada (English title) (imdb display title), International (English title) (imdb display title)
"Before Dawn" - Europe (English title) (informal title)
"Before the Dawn" - International (English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

France:104 min

Country:

France | Luxembourg

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | France:U | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Andorra la Vella, Andorra

Company:

Mon Voisin Productions

Trivia:

French visa # 119343

Great policier with sociological undertones !

Some films stand or fall because of one actor, not only because most of the screen time he's there, but because the action pivots on him. This is the case of Vincent Rottiers, whose "Frédéric Boissier" will stay in my memory for a long time.

Well known actors J. P. Bacri, beautiful L. Mikaël and F. Perrot on the surface are the perfect family, owners of a hotel in the chic Pyrinees, serving the wealthy and powerful. But from the first scenes we know something is rotten, and Bacri knows Fréderic has seen to much. As this boy with a troubled past has no family and a simple girlfriend, Machiavellian Bacri buys our friend F. with trifles. A coat from his own son (who subsequently hates him), some awful stiff dinners with his stressed family, staying at the worst employee's room for a few days. And affection, plus a father figure, which F. never had and needs so badly.

Bacri is of course perfect as a likable guy who even while blatantly lying, you wind up still believing him. We've all been used by people like "Jacques".

Nice well shot scenery (even if you don't like the snow & mountains), well used (sparsely) classical music, and a glimpse into a world most of us won't ever know (pricey winter resorts) seen from the owner and the worker's perspective, to boot.

I didn't like the female inspector's character, played by Sylvie Testud ("Ce que mes yeux ont vu" among others) who this time, strangely enough, is not believable at all, I am sure, because of a "thin" character, always clumsy, asking some questions but ultimately not delivering much.

"Jacky", Fréderic's coworker, is also a hidden gem of a character. If you've been envied by somebody without knowing why, you know Jacky.

Sadly beautiful Céline Sallette (Le grand alibi) is also moving in this film, albeit in a small role.

It'll keep you gripping at your seat until the end, and then some. Can't say the same of most blockbusters you'll ever see :)!

PS: There are some loose threads, about a car's light that F. finds, for instance, and doesn't put to good use. Just a passing thought.