Broadcast on Arte on February 8 and 15 and available until March 15 on arte.tv, De Grâce, with Panayotis Pascot and Olivier Gourmet, among others, is proving to be one of the highlights of the start of the year. But do you know why the series is called that?
Discover De Grace on Thursdays February 8 and 15 at 8:55 p.m. on Arte, and until March 15 on arte.tv.
What is it about ?
Pierre Leprieur was born in Le Havre, with oil and salt in his blood. A man of all battles, through his political and union commitment he became a respected figure among dockers. But on the evening of his 60th birthday, while his loved ones are gathered for his birthday, everything collapses. His youngest son, Simon, is arrested at the wheel of a car that his brother Jean, a dealer, lent him for the evening. A kilo of cocaine was found in the chassis.
The power of the port of Le Havre
Presented for the first time at Séries Mania in March 2023, De Grâce was able to attract the looks and applause of the spectators present at the event. And for good reason, from its polished production to its well-transcribed atmosphere, including its plot and its star-studded cast (Olivier Gourmet, Pierre Lottin, Margot Bancilhon, Panayotis Pascot, Astrid Whettnall, Philippe Rebbot, Gringe, Xavier Beauvois…), this production had enough to become one of the events of 2024.
Available since January 31 on Arte.tv and broadcast this Thursday, February 8 and 15 at 8:55 p.m. on Arte, this series is directed by Vincent Maël Cardona, awarded the César for Best First Film in 2021 for Les Magnétiques. Magnifying ambivalent characters and a rich story on several levels, the very particular staging of De Grace grabs us from the very first moments and immediately fits into the lineage of great French creations.
“The mythological dimension of the story, embodied by characters with larger-than-life trajectories, invited us to stylize the approach. De Grace is a tragedy, not a realistic thriller about drug trafficking among dockworkersunderlines Vincent Maël Cardona. We wanted to go in this direction, by composing an image in dark tones, by looking for faces in the actors that are as if carved in stone.”
A drama with lyrical accents in 6 episodes, in which Le Havre portrays a character in his own right, the series finds its name in a very particular story. Because if the term “of Grace” can evoke a mystical dimension, the director also had another idea in mind when choosing this title. “More than mysticism or religion, it is the idea of fate that we sought to explore.”
“De Grace refers to the name that Francis I gave to this port when he founded it, “Le Havre de Grace”. It is also the imploration of the Leprieur family in the face of the unfolding drama, over which they have no control.” An exciting explanation for a series that is just as exciting, to watch without further delay on Arte and arte.tv.