Jacques Audiard’s latest movie Paris, 13th District is a playful look at young relationships in the Parisian high-rise district of the title. Amiable, if rather ambling and familiar, it has a sweet centre and is elevated by cinematographer Paul Guilhaume’s elegant black and white camerawork.
Newcomer Lucie Zhang makes an impact as Émilie Wong, who has been living in her gran’s flat since the older woman went into care, subletting part of it to supplement her call centre income. Audiard, co-writing with Céline Sciamma and Léa Mysius, adds a flick of freshness to his film by mixing up the chronology a little, so we meet Émilie when she’s already enjoying a naked hang-out with Camille Germain (Makita Samba) before running back to be told, “It began like this” – in the realm of ‘how it started’ and ‘how it’s going’, initial signs certainly seem to be good, although we soon learn there are commitment issues on either side. Zhang and Samba offer a lovely combination of ease and spark, so that both their verbal sparring and physical attraction are instantly believable.
Nora Ligier (Noémie Merlant), meanwhile, is a new resident to the area, having come to the city for a change of career. Shy and markedly older than her fellow students, her decision to try to sex things up a bit on a night out goes badly awry when the blonde wig she is sporting gets her mistaken for video sex worker “Amber Sweet” (Jehnny Beth). Soon Nora, played with a nice mixture of firmness and insecurity by Merlant, is forging an unexpected connection with her sexually daring doppelganger, while – after crossing paths with Camille – also embarking on a tentative liaison with him.
Audiard captures the fluid nature of relationships for a younger generation navigating both on and offline opportunities and, because this is French, it also features plenty of gracefully worked sexual encounters, shot with verve but which also don’t shy away from more awkward moments. Whether you quite believe the ins and outs of the non-bedroom activities is a matter of debate – everyone here is so much nicer than they would most likely be in real life – but this souffle light fantasy of modern love has plenty of romance baked in.
Paris, 13th District (French: Les Olympiades) is a 2021 French drama film, directed and produced by Jacques Audiard, from a screenplay by Audiard, Céline Sciamma and Léa Mysius, loosely based on the short comic stories Amber Sweet, and Killing and Dying from the book of the latter’s name, and Hawaiian Getaway from the book Summer Blonde, all by American cartoonist Adrian Tomine. It stars Lucie Zhang, Makita Samba, Jehnny Beth and Noémie Merlant.
In March 2021, IFC Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film with Curzon Artificial Eye acquiring the UK rights. Paris, 13th District had its world premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival on 14 July. It had its North American premiere at 2021 Toronto International Film Festival in September. On October 3, it was the closing night film at Filmfest Hamburg. It was released in France on 3 November 2021.
Paris, 13th District (2022)
Directed by: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Lucie Zhang, Makita Samba, Noémie Merlant, Jehnny Beth, Camille Léon-Fucien, Oceane Cairaty, Anaïde Rozam, Pol White, Geneviève Doang, Fabienne Galula, Lilian Nze Nong
Screenplay by: Jacques Audiard, Céline Sciamma, Léa Mysius
Production Design by: Mila Preli
Cinematography by: Paul Guilhaume
Film Editing by: Juliette Welfling, Paul Machliss, Jonathan Amos
Costume Design by: Virginie Montel
Set Decoration by: Matthieu Guy d’Arpaillargues
Music by: Rone
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content throughout, graphic nudity, language and some drug use.
Distributed by: Memento (France), IFC Films (United States)
Release Date: July 14, 2021 (Cannes), November 3, 2021 (France), April 15, 2022 (United States)
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