Sandra, a young woman forced to leave the south of France to flee a violent husband. Without attachment, she returned to Boulogne-sur-Mer, the city of her childhood which she left almost 15 years ago. She finds her mother there and a world she left behind. Without money, she is hired in a fish cannery where she befriends two workers. But one day, one of her colleagues tackles her insistently, she defends herself and kills him accidentally.
Acting
Cécile de France and Audrey Lamy's chaotic chemistry
Direction
Mauduit balances grim reality with absurd humor
Production
Fish cannery becomes unlikely setting for empowerment
Director
Allan Mauduit
Cécile de France
Sandra Dréant, former Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Audrey Lamy
Marilyn Santos, fishmonger's employee
Yolande Moreau
Nadine Dewulder, fishmonger's employee
Simon Abkarian
Simon Bénéké, Sandra's father
Samuel Jouy
Inspector Digne
Béatrice Agenin
Sandra's mother
Patrick Ridremont
Jean-Mil, foreman of the fishmonger
Valentin Papoudof
Gaëtan, Mr. Boniface's henchman
Michel Masiero
Franck Dewulder, Nadine's husband
Martine Vandeville
Commissioner
Éric Godon
Mr. Boniface, leader of the Belgian gang
Georges Kelessidis
Member of the Belgian gang
Pierre Nisse
Member of the Belgian gang
Alain Bellot
Member of the Belgian gang
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Cécile de France actually worked in a real fish cannery for two weeks to prepare, which she described as 'educational and smelly.'
The film taps into France's tradition of 'social cinema' but flips it—usually working-class women suffer nobly, here they get darkly funny agency.
FR
