Every day, AlloCiné recommends a film to (re)watch on TV. Tonight: a captivating psychological thriller with Niels Arestrup and Patrick Bruel.
Famous lawyer, Luc Germon (Niels Arestrup) thinks he will achieve recognition when Gilles Fontaine (Patrick Bruel), one of the most powerful bosses in France, asks him to take up his defense. The businessman is suspected of having acquired a magnificent property on the Côte d’Azur, Villa Caprice, under questionable conditions. Humiliated and furious at having allowed himself to be trapped, Fontaine counts on Germon’s skill to get him out of this predicament. But a strange power relationship soon develops between the two men, in principle allies. Who will take the advantage?
This pitch is that of the excellent thriller Villa Caprice, released in French cinemas in 2021. A captivating film noir with crafted dialogue, which brilliantly probes the complexity of the human soul. But above all a duel at the top between Niels Arestrup And Patrick Bruelboth absolutely wonderful.
With this elegant Villa Caprice which will keep you in suspense from start to finish, director Bernard Stora wanted to focus on the theme of power relations. Who owns it? A Who makes the final decision? Who thinks he is powerful and is ultimately just a pawn in a game whose rules he ignores?
“I also wanted to talk about the relationships of collusion between the different powers – political, economic, judicial – the great game of dominoes played by an extremely cruel society, where the slightest weakness can lead to social death, or even death altogether”adds the filmmaker.
“Niels Arestrup had excess, excess, brutality and at the same time the necessary gentleness”
“Each in his sphere, Fontaine, the businessman, like Germon, the lawyer, has a deep contempt for the people around him”concludes Stora. “Everyone is convinced of their exceptional skills, their flair, their instinct which allows them to make a decision in a few seconds, where others get bogged down with details. The arrogance of the powerful is based on real talents , but their blindness is as striking as their so-called clairvoyance.”
With Villa Caprice, Bernard Stora offer to Niels Arestrup a very touching role, the polar opposite of the one he played in A Prophet. “He had the excess, the excess, the brutality and at the same time the necessary gentleness because Niels can also be absolutely cute”notes the director. “In my head, it was him from the start.”
Thriller of great intelligence carried by two actors in tune, Villa Caprice is to be discovered quickly to kick off the week under the best auspices.
Tonight on France 3 at 9:10 p.m.