Cannes review: “The worst” by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret

The challenges of street casting are explored. the worst (The Pires), Some drama about the film. Directed by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, it sees the film crew arrive in a working-class city in France, with inspiring and sometimes dark and fun results.


Flemish director Gabriel (Johann Heldenberg) introduces children to Picasso, a suburb of Boulogne-sur-Mer. His article is about a pregnant teenager and her younger brother, and he wants real people. The neighbors are surprised that he only uses “les pires”, which, according to him, are the worst, namely thieves. But there is great talent in Lily (Mallory Vaneke) and suicide in Little Ryan (Timeo Mahaut).

Lily is thrilled to meet people from different walks of life and young people who treat her well. Ryan initially avoids pursuing his own feelings, obviously worried about being separated from his mother along with other problems. But both can turn out to be therapeutic means for filming.


While this shows the bright side of his experience, it is also sometimes painful to talk about the problems that can arise when an industry collapses in a small town. Disagreement and jealousy arise among the young people of this part and the older locals complain that such a film continues the stereotypes and prevents the rich from going there. Why not focus on a successful gymnastics team?


Two particularly awkward scenes take an indirect look at the ethics of working with minors in low-budget shooting. Wanting to make a realistic fight scene between a group of children, Gabriel orders one to insult Ryan’s mother and yells that she wants him later. In the love scene, he guides Lily and Jesse (Loic Pech) and tells them about his first sexual experience before the camera turns on. He asks Lily to say if he’s uncomfortable, but it’s actually Jesse who reacts badly. It is interesting to see two female directors showing a director sharing his sexual and romantic experiences in a love scene where they are not particularly the coordinators of an intimate relationship.


It is not that Gabriel is portrayed entirely negatively: he is a more tragicomic figure; Indeed, all the characters are pleasantly complex and contradictory. Esther Archambo excels in the role of Judith, who works in the production and has the ears of several young performers.


Directors Akoka and Garrett have extensive experience in casting young people, a process they briefly explored. real hunting. This feature also offers a fascinating look at the shooting experience. Not surprisingly, the couple is a fan of Andrea Arnold: Worse It should appeal to anyone who appreciates his shooting style.