Sur les Chemins noirs is an introspective drama by Denis Imbert, adapted from Sylvain Tesson's autobiographical book. Starring Jean Dujardin, the film follows a walk across France after a serious accident. Following its theatrical release, this contemplative work returns to France 2 for a prime-time broadcast on Sunday, October 12, 2025 at 9:10pm.
The trailer unveils an inner journey driven by nature, slowness and words. Images of the French countryside take center stage, recalling the themes dear to Sylvain Tesson: solitude, reconstruction and the beauty of the wild world.
Sur les Chemins noirs will be broadcast on France 2 on Sunday, October 12, 2025 at 9:10pm.
Synopsis: After a serious accident, writer and adventurer Pierre decides to cross France on foot, following the diagonal of the void. Along forgotten paths, he encounters himself and a little-known rural France, in a journey that is both physical and spiritual.
Sur les Chemins noirs adapts the autobiographical account by renowned travel writer Sylvain Tesson, whose previous works such as La Panthère des neiges and Berezina had already fascinated audiences with their philosophical dimension. The film picks up on the main points of Tesson's journey to recovery: a fall, a difficult awakening, then the decision to travel the country alone.
Winner of an Oscar for The Artist, Jean Dujardin moves away from comedy to play a more serious, introspective character. His performance highlights a man's fragility in the face of nature, supported by a cast that includes Izïa Higelin, Anny Duperey and Joséphine Japy.
Directed by Denis Imbert, the film celebrates reconnection with nature and the slow pace of travel. The landscapes crossed become the real protagonists of the story: mountains, villages, dirt tracks and forgotten roads. This visual dimension makes the film both contemplative and soothing, ideal for a Sunday rerun on France 2.
This feature-length film will appeal to fans of auteur cinema, introspective narratives and human adventure. Viewers who are sensitive to nature and inner journeys, or who have enjoyed films such as Into the Wild or Wild, should find a similar atmosphere here: a personal quest at walking pace, between silence and contemplation.
Our opinion on the film Sur les Chemins noirs
One might expect an opportunistic, miserabilistic film about a man attempting a long walk of resilience after a serious accident. But Sur les Chemins noirs is quite the opposite. First of all, we appreciate the fact that the story of the accident (shown too much in the film's trailer) is avoided, leaving only snatches of it. Throughout the story, we won't know exactly what happened to this pseudo-Sylvain Tesson to leave him so disfigured. The tragedy is evoked in small touches, before we get the full picture.
Denis Imbert thus manages to avoid a classic, somewhat boring narrative, showing his character from the outset as a man who is somewhat unsympathetic, but transformed by this tragedy. This is well served by Jean Dujardin's fine acting. But let's make no mistake: what will interest viewers most in this feature-length film is the splendor of its natural settings. This tour de France of back roads is visually sumptuous, and gives the film a postcard look that's far from unpleasant.
Of course, this won't be enough to convince even the most cinephile, which is why the screenplay is fleshed out by the story the character writes along the way. This makes Sur les Chemins noirs an eminently literary film, with the protagonist's voice-over as witness to what is written in these little notebooks. We haven't read Sylvain Tesson's book, but we wouldn't be at all surprised if this voice-over were taken directly from its pages.
In the course of this therapeutic journey, the character meets a whole gallery of characters, but it's alone that the adventure is most exhilarating for him. It's about losing oneself on the road to better find oneself, a beautiful journey of resilience, which commands respect when you know that it was actually made by Sylvain Tesson. This is a film that will appeal to lovers of the beautiful language and little-known corners of the country.
Produced by Escazal Films and distributed by Pathe Films, Sur les Chemins noirs is a tribute to travel literature and the link between body and territory. Directed by Denis Imbert and voiced by Jean Dujardin, the film explores the reconstruction of the self through movement and walking.
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