Karnaval is set against a backdrop of intolerance and hostility in the gloomy Northern French city of Dunkirk. The story is set during carnival time, when the citizens let themselves loose for six weeks of partying, carousing and having a good time. The film centers on Larbi, an Arab youth, and his confrontation with one of the turning points of his life. After a violent argument with his father, Larbi decides to leave the family's business and go to Marseilles for a fresh start. On his last night in the town he grew up in, he sleeps in the hallway of an apartment building, where he is disturbed by Béa and Christian, a couple having fun at the carnival. Larbi is attracted to Béa and decides to stay a few more days to try his luck. In the free atmosphere of the carnival, Larbi discovers a world that he did not know existed, a world which is about to clash with his conservative outlook, and the three lives are changed forever.
Acting
Sylvie Testud's magnetic, wounded performance as Béa
Cinematography
Dunkirk's gray industrial beauty against carnival chaos
Direction
Vincent's delicate balance of hope and social realism
Director
Thomas Vincent
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during France's tense debates on integration, the film captures pre-9/11 European anxiety about identity that feels eerily prescient today.
This was Sylvie Testud's breakthrough role; she reportedly stayed in character's exhausted, disaffected energy throughout the shoot, barely speaking to castmates off-camera.
FR
