For his fourth feature film, “Mascarade”, Nicolas Bedos summons a dream cast led by Pierre Niney, Isabelle Adjani, François Cluzet and Marine Vacth.
The beauty of the Côte d’Azur hides many secrets. With Mascarade, his fourth film, Nicolas Bedos ventures into the Riviera and scratches the shiny veneer of a microsociety to reveal its true nature. For this, he follows the intertwined destinies of several characters who illustrate the human being in all its complexity.
Pierre Niney and Marine Vacth embody two heroes who share one thing in common: they use their charm as a weapon. One uses it to live the high life, the other to survive. In this pitiless universe, they will fall in love and drag each other into a succession of scams with dramatic consequences.
A choral, ambitious, solar and yet terribly desperate film, Masquerade imposes itself more like a drama. Known for his irreverent tone, Nicolas Bedos still allows himself a biting humor through many daring. Above all, the filmmaker pays homage to Hollywood cinema, from L’Arnaque to Sunset Boulevard.
Pathe Isabelle Adjani in “Masquerade”.
To carry the most eccentric character of the film, he surrounds himself with one of the greatest figures of French cinema: Isabelle Adjani. The actress, who has never been afraid to put herself in danger, is irresistible and continues to amaze. For Pierre Niney, who shares many scenes with her, this collaboration was a dream come true:
“We had a film project a few years ago and, in the end, it didn’t happen. The roles were good, but it wasn’t as strong, intense, ambivalent, ambiguous, intelligent, violent and loving at the same time as what Nicolas Bedos wrote between these two characters.“
The other spark of the film is Marine Vacth. Revealed in Jeune et Jolie by François Ozon, she plays a manipulative, fiery heroine, ready for anything and endearing. With Masquerade, Nicolas Bedos makes your teeth cringe in beauty.
Interview by Thomas Desroches, in Cannes, in May 2022.
Masquerade by Nicolas Bedos, November 1, 2022 at the cinema.