VHS has never been so topical... Fans of Max Boublil and comedy can look forward to "PLAY", a feature-length film byAnthony Marciano, in cinemas on January 1, 2020 and on VOD on April 3, 2020 . The film stars Max Boublil ("Comme des Garçons","Ma Reum"...) as Max, a young man who has made a habit of filming himself from an early age, until one day he looks back on his past and tries to edit the film of his life.
The film also stars Alice Isaaz ("Elle","Le Mystère Henri Pick"...), Malik Zidi ("Jacquou Le Croquant","Tout ce qu'il me reste de la révolution"...), Noémie Lvovsky ("D'après une histoire vraie", "Les Invisibles".), Alain Chabat ("La Cité de la Peur","L'Ecume des Jours", "Santa & Cie"...), Thomas VDB ("La Ch'tite Famille", "Premier de la Classe"...) and Camille Lou ("Epouse-moi mon pote","Jusqu'ici tout va bien"...).
Synopsis:
In 1993, Max was 13 when he was given his first camera. For the next 25 years, he would never stop filming. His band of friends, his loves, his successes, his failures. From the 90's to the 2010's, a whole generation is portrayed through his lens.
Trailer:
Review:
"PLAY" is an original and atypical film in form, but also and above all very funny.
Director Anthony Marciano spares no expense in taking us back to the 90s, when Max (his hero played by Max Boublil, who is none other than the actor's counterpart) began filming his life. Square image, old-fashioned credits with outdated writing, saturated sound... Everything is there to make us believe that these images date back to the 90s. And let's not forget the soundtrack, featuring Blink, Nirvana, Queen, NTM, Haddaway, Hélène Rollès and Jamiroquiai. It's a real pleasure to hear these hits again. He hasn't forgotten the props either: VCR, huge telephone handset, Game Boy and Playstation 1 have all found their place in"PLAY".
The director (and co-writer with Max Boublil) has opted, at times, for very short sequences where cations happen very quickly, which energizes the film. While"PLAY" focuses on Max's life, the backdrop is the unconfessed love story between Max and his friend Emma, a romance that evolves throughout the film.
While we can't fault the actors who play Max and his young pals, we can't wait to finally see Max Boublil on screen. He arrives just over halfway through the film, when Max - the character - is just under 25. And that's when you really start to savor it, because let's face it, Max Boublil (who is currently honing his new show on tour) has this comic power about him. One funny scene follows another, until Max organizes his 4-year-old daughter's birthday party. It's a laugh-out-loud scene that should go down in history.
After playing Max Boublil 's father-in-law in"Les Gamins" (also directed by Anthony Marciano), Alain Chabat now plays his father, a character we unfortunately don't see enough of. The director also had the good idea of slipping in a little reference to"La Cité de la Peur" (City of Fear), which we'll leave to you to figure out, because we can't recommend enough that you go and see"PLAY" to start 2020 off on the right foot.
Available on VOD from April 3, 2020
Call for entries:
If you're an actor, producer, director, distributor, exhibitor or simply a cinema fan and would like to share your experience of this exceptional period, please contact us by e-mail at temoignages@sortiraparis.com.
