Winner of the Grand Prix at the Alpe d’Huez Festival (where Laure Calamy also won), Fabien Gorgeart’s third film is a delicate, really funny, and quite deep comedy. “To obtain the annulment of a marriage in the church, religious authorities demand that the non-validity of a promise made before God be proved. Not just its lack of realization, but the demonstration that everything was only lies and without love,” explains the filmmaker, who conducted extensive research on the subject. “When my producer told me about annulment procedures, I immediately knew it would be a great comedy subject.”
Deuxième Ligne Films – Petit Film – France 3 Cinéma
For the third time, Fabien Gorgeart tackles the theme of family, once again varying the angle and tone. In the delicate “Diane a les épaules” (2017), Clotilde Hesme was pregnant with a baby for a couple of her friends. In 2021, “La Vraie Famille” plunged Mélanie Thierry and Lyes Salem into the drama of children placed in foster care. “This time, I had fun pushing the situations to the absurd; but I was constantly caught up in questioning what ‘makes a family,’ our way of living with the overlay of our love stories,” the director explains.
From Wilder to Moretti
Laure Calamy shines as Marguerite, Vincent Macaigne excels as Fred, a sensitive and clumsy guy character that suits him perfectly. And we rejoice in this film filled with supporting characters (Mélanie Thierry, Lyes Salem, Céleste Brunnquell, Saul Benchetrit) who, in turn, unravel complex situations, add salt to wounds, or heal their partners’ or parents’ pains.
“I really wanted a choral film. The beginning looks like a simple remarriage comedy, but we quickly understand that a couple’s story is not exclusive to two people: it concerns many people. Those from our past, present, and future lives,” continues Fabien Gorgeart, who blushes when his film is compared to the romantic comedies of Billy Wilder. “That is part of my references, of course. Like Howard Hawks, when he ventured into comedy, or Nanni Moretti and Woody Allen, whose characters have an active voice: the funny moments always come from dialogue confrontation.” A delight.
