Direction: Jacques Audiard
Country: France
French auteur Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, 2009; Dheepan, 2015) is not as strong as we ought to be in Paris, 13th District, but by turning his lens to four disappointed young adults with distinct personalities and backgrounds, he provides a valid analysis of present-day French youth. Flowing like a waltz - two steps forward one step back - this arthouse effort with lots of sex appeal and emotional vulnerabilities develops from a screenplay by Audiard, Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2019; Petite Maman, 2021) and Léa Mysius (Ava, 2017; Farewell to the Night, 2019). Their writings were based on three short comic stories by American cartoonist Adrian Tomine, and the title is a reference to a particular administrative district of towers located in Paris.
The promiscuous and egocentric Émilie Wong (Lucie Zhang), a recently graduated young woman forced to work small jobs, accepts Camille Germain (Makita Samba), an unfulfilled teacher, as her roommate. They instantly become lovers, but pressures drive them apart. Nora Ligier (Noémie Merlant), a law student from Bordeaux, is framed by her college mates when she’s mistakenly identified as Amber Sweet (Jehnny Beth), an online erotic entertainer. Through the intersecting paths of these characters, Audiard weaves a human story that, eschewing overstatements, feels very contemporary.
The film is meandering and some parts don’t really hold together, but the way this tale finally ties into personal happiness is light-hearted and life-affirming. Rone’s electronic music together with Paul Guilhaume’s voluptuous black-and-white photography take advantage of the Parisian charm, facilitating the flow of energy from and to these characters.
