Antoine has agreed to follow a writing workshop where some young people in insertion must write a noir novel with the help of Olivia, a recognized novelist. The work of writing will bring to life the working-class past of the city. Its shipyard is closed for 25 years, a nostalgia that does not interest Antoine, influenced by the anxiety of the present world
Acting
Matthieu Lucci's screen debut is genuinely unsettling.
Direction
Cantet blurs workshop fiction and real threat masterfully.
Writing
Dialogue that weaponizes creative writing exercises.
Director
Laurent Cantet
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Cantet used real writing workshop participants as extras, blurring documentary and fiction further.
The La Ciotat shipyard closure mirrors France's deindustrialization trauma, making Antoine's rage historically specific rather than generic alienation.
FR
