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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 26.Feb.25

The Empire L’Empire
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir-scr Bruno Dumont
prd Jean Brehat, Bertrand Faivre
with Brandon Vlieghe, Anamaria Vartolomei, Lyna Khoudri, Camille Cottin, Fabrice Luchini, Julien Manier, Bernard Pruvost, Philippe Jore, Anne Tardivon, Marie Vasez, Cedric Fortin, Annick Lefevre
release Fr 21.Feb.24,
US 28.Feb.25
24/France 1h50

BERLIN FILM FEST

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A bonkers social satire, this French film centres around a galactic war waging around a small seaside town. Writer-director Bruno Dumont creates an epic mythology that plays out with inventive visual effects. The mixture of earthy realism and outrageous sci-fi craziness is instantly fascinating, simply because we've never seen anything quite like this. And what emerges is a witty battle for the soul that's packed with real humanity.

In a village on the north coast of France, young fisherman Jony (Vlieghe) meets new neighbour Line (Khoudri), quickly realising that they have something in common: both are alien 0s protecting the Wain, Jony's toddler son, from the 1s, a rival faction that believes the child is the devil incarnate. Led by Jane (Vartolomei), the 1s see Jony's 0s as demons who are out to destroy the Earth. And indeed they do embrace human depravity. These factions are locked in an existential battle that's leading to an enormous war in the sky above the beach.

Awkward interaction abounds, as this raging conflict is obscured by class and generational issues. Both the horse-riding 0s and light-sword wielding 1s need human bodies in order to take physical form, and they are seen as abstract blobs of black goo or beams of light, respectively, on their elaborate spaceships. At one point, Jony tempts Jane to make the most of their human bodies, and she can't resist. So I becomes tricky to remember they're on opposite sides.

Actors cleverly give these characters an otherworldly stiffness. Vlieghe and Vartolomei hold the film's centre as eternal enemies who have a terrific sense of lusty chemistry, which pointedly makes it difficult to remain at odds. Diving fully into the absurdity, Cottin is inhabited by the 0 queen, who wants to see things firsthand. And Luchini is the man the 1 ruler Belsebuth occupies so he can visit the Wain in person.

All of this is perhaps a bit too pointed regarding religion and morality, but the ideas are big enough to get us thinking even as we enjoy the silliness. The 0s' master plan is to invade the entire earth, ridding each person of their evil nature. But the 1s are confident of victory because the arrogance of the 0s blinds them to the truth. In other words, despite Dumont's tongue-in-cheek tone, this is actually a serious exploration of human nature. Which gives the nutty story and characters a proper kick. [15 themes, language, violence, sexuality] 25.Feb.25 Berlin

themes, violence, sexuality 15.Dec.24

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL