How many people believe in luck? While I do not reason it out for excuse or blaming, some of the things remain unsaid in incidentally coincidental situations. I believe to have a word for to precisely describe the situation which is termed as “luck”. And once the movie is over there is luck and also the irony in it. There is closure of different kind which ends with an emptiness that we are perplexed on what luck are. The tale of this twenty two year old Georgian immigrant in France called Sébastien (George Babluani) undergoes a rollercoaster of a ride in this independent film making by Géla Babluani. Sébastien works in construction and while working on a house, he overhears some conversation. The owner Godon (Olga Legrand) a drug addict has no aim in paying Sébastien. He himself is in financial constraints. We come to know that there is surveillance being done upon Godon and the postal service to him is tracked. The letter arrives which Sébastien accidentally gets his hands upon. The envelope contains one ticket to Paris and a hotel reservation. Godon dies of overdose and Sébastien decides to take up his place. With no idea on what he is getting into, he travels to Paris and then to unknown places. When he arrives at the destined location, the people come to know of Godon’s death. They have no choice but to involve Sébastien. I will leave the rest for the pleasure of viewers.
What starts as an independent drama gives a jolt to the seats. We immediately get up and laugh wickedly and also with great empathy at the situation Sébastien is in. We do sympathize with his intentions. He came for money but did not expect the worst. He did expect some sort of dangerous assignment. May be he thought a small drug deal or some heist. At the young age of twenty two and responsibility of family over his shoulder, he is ready for anything to get paid for the work done for Godon. I guess that is the only reason he takes up this journey of risky business.
The film is shot in black and white. I love most of the modern movies made in black and white. It brings out the appeal of uniqueness and placidity. It carries the raw detail of the ambience. It is crude and bland. The tense is at everyone’s nerve. Sébastien played by George Babluani, brother of the director enacts the character of the naïve ness and the curious dare he takes through.
The sequence of the game and the people’s reaction after it are realistic and scares everyone. One cannot imagine people with so much money opting for a pleasure of cruelty and greed. The film takes on slow and suddenly wraps us with tension. We know what is going to happen to Sébastien. Of course he is the protagonist and the sweet kid. We want him to win. And he needs to win with the story taking its turn. Yet the way it slowly opening up makes it one nerve biting thriller.
I have taken great pains to not reveal the main plot because when the viewers realize it while watching the movie, the sheer thrill, surprise and danger of it is unexplainable. The director manages a bland movie taking a complete turn of its own to bring a thriller of different kind. The movie is a symbolic representation of luck and fate forming irony in itself.
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