BERLINALE 2020 - A l’abordage

70th BERLINALE FILM FESTIVAL

Guillaume Brac's A l’abordage is a beautiful and entertaining coming-of-age story told in the most french and fashionable manner possible: quaint and stoic but with a bubbling weight brewing with emotion, raging in lust and desire.

A comedy at heart with romantic aromas, Brac's film is wonderfully shot by cinematographer Alan Guichaoua in a tender, warm embrace that engulfs the screen with a terrific colour grade. Guichaoua’s exploration of the setting also thematically matches the characters’ arcs perfectly, who have a range of individualism and unique power to their respective stores and background that brews a poignant feature. 

Each arc of the main characters Félix, Chérif and Édouard — played by Éric Nantchouang, Salif Cissé and Édouard Sulpice, respectively — offers an array of range and emotional sustenance with unique arcs explored, whether  it is independence from his mother in Sulpice's character Edouard or the exploration of warmth in a relationship in Cissé’s performance as Chérif. The viewer is continuously watching the characters evolve and progress with their philosophies and feelings in this intimate, almost utopian surrounding.

The resulting performances are full of depth and weight and with Brac's delicate — albeit slow — pacing, performances are allowed to gestate and speak volumes in a stoic silence that elevates the emotions of the characters. However, that is not to say that the grittiness and dialogue are not delivered just as effectively as each performance has a significant gravitas and stance allowing ir to stand out from the crowd. 

A l’abordage is a tranquil but resounding success at exploring the hearts and souls of three dynamic characters in their struggles to evolve and grow. Showcased in three terrific lead performances and superb cinematography.