Filmlovers! (French: Spectateurs !) is a 2024 docufiction drama film written and directed by Arnaud Desplechin.[2] It stars Milo Machado-Graner, Mathieu Amalric and Françoise Lebrun. It features the character of Paul Dédalus, who appeared in Desplechin's earlier films My Sex Life... or How I Got into an Argument (1996) and My Golden Days (2015). Acoording to Desplechin the film is meant to "celebrate movie theaters and their manifold magic".[3]

Filmlovers!
Theatrical release poster
FrenchSpectateurs !
Directed byArnaud Desplechin
Written byArnaud Desplechin
Produced byCharles Gillibert
Narrated by
  • Arnaud Desplechin
  • Mathieu Amalric
CinematographyNoé Bach
Edited byLaurence Briaud
Music byGrégoire Hetzel
Production
companies
Distributed byLes Films du Losange
Release dates
  • 22 May 2024 (2024-05-22) (Cannes)
  • 15 January 2025 (2025-01-15) (France)
Running time
88 minutes[1]
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

It had its world premiere in the Special Screenings section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 22 May 2024, where competed for the L'Œil d'or.

Plot

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A film lover celebrates the magic of cinema. Memories, fiction and discoveries intertwine in a rapid flow of cinematic images.

Cast

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  • Louis Birman as 6-year-old Paul
  • Dominique Païni as The painter
  • Clément Hervieu-Léger as Barthes reader
  • Françoise Lebrun The grandmother
  • Sandra Laugier as The philosopher
  • Olga Milshtein as Philosophy student
  • Milo Machado-Graner as 14-year-old Paul
  • Margaux Mussano
  • Sam Chemoul as 22-year-old Paul
  • Marilou Poujardieu as Valérie
  • Salomé Rose Stein as Sylvia
  • Micha Lescot as Professor Censier
  • Soshana Felman as The philosopher
  • Kent Jones as The American friend
  • Salif Cissé as 30-year-old
  • Mathieu Amalric as The filmmaker

Production

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Filmlovers! is Arnaud Desplechin's fifteenth feature film and is an essay film in homage to cinema. It features the character of Paul Dédalus, who is considered Desplechin's alter-ego and who first appeared in his film My Sex Life... or How I Got into an Argument (1996) and its prequel My Golden Days (2015). In Filmlovers!, he returns to the character's childhood, and tells the story of how he got introduced to cinema: first as a spectator, then as a cinephile, and finally a filmmaker. The film is a hybrid of documentary and fiction that incorporates archival footage of film clips and stills as well as interviews with those who accompanied Desplechin in his experiences as a spectator. Ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to Italian neorealism, from the silent era to the cutting edge of contemporary cinema, the film is a journey through the images that shaped the filmmaking eye of Arnaud Desplechin.[4] Desplechin wrote the film's screenplay, in collaboration with Fanny Burdino.[1] He also cited Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans (2022) as a source of inspiration.[5] The film was produced by Charles Gillibert at CG Cinéma.[2] It is co-produced by Scala Films, Arte France Cinéma and Hill Valley, with the participation of French fashion house Chanel.[4]

Principal photography began on 17 July 2023 in Avion, Pas-de-Calais, where shooting took place for two days at the cinema Le Familia, which was transformed to resemble the 1960s and 1970s. Filming continued that same week in Roubaix and Tourcoing. Desplechin planned to shoot sequences in his former high school, in which a multimedia room bears his name. Filming then moved to Paris.[6]

Release

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The film was selected to be screened in the Special Screenings section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 22 May 2024.[7]

International sales are handled by Les Films du Losange,[4] who is also set to distribute the film in France on 15 January 2025.[1]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 8 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10.[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[9]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 24 May 2024 L'Œil d'or Arnaud Desplechin Nominated [10]

List of mentioned films

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The film makes reference to several other films, including:[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Spectateurs !" (in French). Les Films du Losange. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b Lemercier, Fabien (17 July 2023). "Spectateurs by Arnaud Desplechin receives a CNC advance on receipts". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  3. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (4 January 2024). "Arnaud Desplechin's 'Spectateurs!,' Starring 'Anatomy of a Fall' Child Actor, Wraps Production and Unveils First Look (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "En tournage avec Arnaud Desplechin" (in French). CG Cinéma. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  5. ^ Newman, Nick (23 May 2024). ""Films Can't Fix Lives": Arnaud Desplechin on Filmlovers!, The Fabelmans, and Jean-Luc Godard". The Film Stage. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  6. ^ Videcoq, Théo (20 July 2023). "Arnaud Desplechin a posé ses caméras au Familia, à Avion". La Voix du Nord (in French). Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  7. ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Filmlovers!". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 10 September 2024.  
  9. ^ "Filmlovers!". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  10. ^ "2024 Competition". L'Œil d'or (in French). Scam : Société civile des auteurs multimédia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  11. ^ "PresskitFilmolovers" (PDF). Les Films du Losange. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
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