Summertime and what better than to enjoy a movie in an open-air, summer cinema. To watch a film in the big screen under the stars.
Unfortunately, in the city where I live, there is no longer a (summer) outdoor cinema. (hopefully it will work again at some point, fingers crossed). Fortunately, however, there is a quite active film club, which every year organizes in an outdoor small theater -with amphitheatrical seats- screening of various films with various themes.
This year the club are to screen films from various countries, such as Turkey, Iran, but also Iceland and France. And of course I couldn't miss these screenings (what cinephile would I be anyway?). And all these happen in a beautiful environment, since the outdoor theater is located inside the city park. After all, it doesn't take much to make an outdoor display. A good quality projector, speakers, a white cloth and plenty of space under the starry sky for the spectators to sit.
The day before yesterday it was the turn of the French film and so we watched "Bye, bye Morons" (Adieu, Les Cons), which broke the box office ticket record in France during 2020 and obviously would have continued to break records, but ... coronavirus happened and along with it the restrictive measures, closing all cinema halls among others.
Adieu Les Cons (Bye, Bye Morons) (2020)
What would you do if your doctor told you that you had very little time left to live? Suze Trappet (the beautiful Virginie Efira in the role - look out for her - she will be a name that will be discussed a lot in the future) is looking for the son she gave birth to 28 years ago and gave up for adoption through an anonymous process. A great obstacle in this effort is the inexorable French bureaucratic system that does not help her in her search.
On the other hand, a senior employee, Jean Baptiste Cuchas of the Ministry of the Interior, an IT genius, is informed that he will not get the coveted promotion, but instead someone younger than him. Thus, he decides to end his life.
The paths of these two people meet in that failed attempt of Cuchas to kill himself and continues in a stormy search for the son of Suze and the proof of the innocence of Jean-Baptiste. Accompanying them is a permanently frightened blind archivist who contributes in his own way to this effort.
Although the title doesn't suggest anything like that, the film is a (tragic) comedy. The director depicts the attempt of Suze, who will die in a short time, to find her son by punctuating the French public system, a punch in this impersonal wall of bureaucracy (don't tell me you haven't experienced it in your country, because in mine, at least, bureaucracy annoys me). But it doesn't just leave us with bitterness on our lips or just a feeling of anger for what our heroes pull. From the half hour of the film onwards, the funny scenes prevail so much that bring tears to our eyes from laughter.
In the pluses of the film, here too I have to give credit to Nicholas Marie, who plays the blind archivist, as he acts an excellent interpretation of the scared man who comes out of his shell and various surreal scenes happen in his wake. (Have you seen a blind man driving a car?). He was delightful in his role and in his passing he caused chaos in the film but laughter to us, the spectators.
Also, the Monty Pythons influences were evident throughout the film with the surreal scenes I mentioned, but also the equally surreal gun commercial starring none other than Monty Python's Terry Gilliam.
Finally, to the many pluses, in addition to the female protagonist, I must add the music of Mano Negra "Mala Vida" that was heard as a pivotal song in the film. It reminded me of youth parties where we danced wildly to this track. And believe me during the screening, every time the track was heard, I was grooving and at the end credits I got up and danced to it with my partner.
This film may not have been the best example of French cinema, but if you want a movie that will bring laughter and tears, go for it. It is well directed, neat and will help you spend an hour and a half pleasantly.
Personally, I enjoyed it because of its funny moments but mostly because of the open space. When I felt that I was getting tired in some places, I would raise my head and see the clear starry sky. Images filled my eyes, both from the big screen and from the vast sky above us. Oh, and there was a lovely moon that night, to light it up.
If you get a chance to watch a movie in an open-air cinema, don't miss it. Even if the movie isn't perfect, the space will make up for it.
Thank you for reading.
The photos were taken by me with the help of my mobile phone, except the ones stated otherwise.
