Cédric Klapisch has concocted, for Prime Video, a sequel to the adventures of his heroes. A series with a slightly modified recipe which begins this April 14.
By Katia De la Ballina, special correspondent in Lille.
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“IIt is clear that today’s Europe is no longer that of our parents. » The observation of Giula, one of the young heroines of Greek saladis also the one who pushed Cédric Klapisch to reconnect with his favorite characters from The Spanish inn. And to introduce us to their descendants. The series, which is served at the table of Amazon Prime Video subscribers this April 14, uses ingredients that made the success of the film twenty years ago, adapting them to our times and our questions. Result: the taste remains pleasant but not really innovative.
This new version focuses on the Athenian tribulations of Tom (Aliocha Schneider, Niels Schneider’s brother) and Mia (Megan Northam), the grown-up children of Xavier (Romain Duris) and Wendy (Kelly Reilly): “If I accepted to do this sequel, it is to paint a portrait of today’s European youth, explained, in Lille, during the Series Mania festival, the 61-year-old director, who has surrounded himself with five thirty-somethings for create and write all eight episodes. In the 2000s, upon the release of The Spanish inn, Europe was an exciting idea, the times were euphoric. Since then, there has been the economic crisis of 2008, Brexit, Covid, Ukraine, the issue of migrants… and Europe is weakened. Young people are less carefree, and more engaged. »
Committed heroes
This chronicle of a not-so-disenchanted generation opens with the arrival in Athens of Tom, an ambitious but somewhat naive start-up in the making. He joins his younger sister Mia, supposedly enrolled in political science as part of the Erasmus program. But it is in a squat that he will find her. Rejecting her bourgeois origins, the young woman deserted the benches of the university to militate in an association of aid to migrants. A shock for his brother, whose concerns turn out to be much more materialistic, he who thinks only of the sale of the building bequeathed by their late grandfather, just to finance his New York company.
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Two rooms, two atmospheres, and two opposing conceptions of society, like the contrasting ideals of Generation Z. The sharing of heritage promises to be all the more complicated as Mia is not long in taking over the building to house her protected. For his part, Tom has already dropped off his suitcases there, integrating, like his parents before him, a cheerful collocation of young people from all over Europe. The cohabitation of all these pretty people quickly turns out to be eventful. Between protest demonstrations, improvised parties, friendly discoveries and romantic disappointments, Tom and Mia are led to question their certainties and their heritage and the viewer is not bored, lulled by an effective if not original plot.
A revisited recipe
To simmer this Greek salad, Cédric Klapisch, passed through the TV box with the series Ten percent, has revisited the recipe that made it a success: with the refreshing energy, the bubbling mix of cultures, the piquant dialogues of its cinematographic trilogy (The Spanish Inn, Russian Dolls, Chinese Puzzle), he added the seriousness of contemporary concerns. The eight episodes thus explore, without trying to play the card of originality at all costs, questions of gender, violence against women, refugees and, in (very small ) hollow, ecological emergency.
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So many reflections that melancholy echo the fractured beauty of the Greek capital, damaged by the economic and migratory crisis, as a symbol of the dysfunctions of Europe. And its current questioning. However, the ancient city retains all its life force and inspiration for the younger generation. The series thus invites illustrious philosophers – Socrates, Plato or even Epicurus – into the introspective daydreams of the candid Tom, who no longer knows how to cultivate his social, loving and family garden. A last ground particularly mined by some recently unearthed secrets…
A “life experience”
Their revelation on Christmas Eve, in front of the whole tribe finally reunited, is one of the most intense and moving moments in fiction. The opportunity also for her to pay tribute to her origins: “The presence of Romain Duris, Kelly Reilly or Cécile de France in the casting was mandatory. The idea was also to show continuity with all the characters, explained Cédric Klapisch. This adventure represents twenty years of my existence. Beyond a film or a series, it’s a life experience! “It is not the fans of the first hour who will contradict him. more than one Greek saladit is indeed a real Proust madeleine that nostalgics will savor in front of their screen… As for neophytes, we bet they will taste this bittersweet entry into the filmmaker’s universe.