Every day, AlloCiné recommends a film to (re)watch on TV. This evening: a detective film with Gilles Lellouche and François Civil.
After La French and HHhH, Cédric Jimenez continues his exploration of strong subjects with Bac Nord. Originally from Marseille, the director seizes on a news item that hit the headlines in 2012: eighteen members of the city’s anti-crime brigade were referred to correctional for drug trafficking and racketeering.
Thanks to a contact from his producer Hugo Sélignac, Cédric Jimenez meets the real cops of the case and wins their trust, so that they accompany the project throughout its conception: from its co-writing in collaboration with Audrey Diwan (L’Evénement), until filming with the technical team and the actors.
Carried by an impeccable cast – François Civil, Gilles Lellouche, Karim Leklou, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Kenza Fortas – North ferry dynamizes the French thriller thanks to its brutal and striking immersion in the heart of the police and the northern districts of Marseille. Realistic and devoid of clichés, the film is also based on breathtaking action scenes.
A punchy feature film, which did not fail to make people talk, when it was released in August 2021. Already, during its screening at the Cannes Film Festival, North ferry is questioned from a political angle, accused of favoring the push of the extreme right. Then, as the presidential term approaches, the film is cited in security debates by right-wing political figures.
In the process, Cédric Jimenez was offended by this political recovery at the microphone of the Parisian: “[C’est] deplorable. (…) Zemmour and Le Pen distort the subject of the film, they make lamentable shortcuts. I didn’t do an X-ray of the northern districts of Marseille, I showed the city in a very particular context. (…) What I wanted to tell is how individuals found themselves crushed by the machine. It’s the theme of all my films.”
At the same time, French spectators make North ferry a real success in cinemas, especially for a year 2021 marked by a significant drop in cinema attendance. With 2.2 million admissions, it is the second biggest French success of 2021.
With an average viewer rating of 4.2/5, North ferry ranks among the best films of 2021 on AlloCiné.
North ferry by Cédric Jimenez with Gilles Lellouche, François Civil, Karim Leklou…
From 10 years old
Tonight on France 2 at 9:10 p.m.