The Enemy

An O'Brother Distribution relieve a Versus Push. production, in colaboration with Prime Time, Hepp Film. (Worldwide sales: Bac Films, Paris.) Produced by Jacques-Henri Bronckart, Olivier Bronckart. Co-producers, Antonino Lombardo, Helena Danielsson. Directed by Nicolas Provost. Script, Provost, Giordano Gederlini, Francois Pirot.With: Issaka Sawadogo, Stefania Rocca, Serge Riaboukine, Dieudonne Kabongo, Tibo Vandenborre, Hannelore Knuts. (French, British, Moore dialogue)Celebrated Belgian visual artist and shorts filmmaker Nicolas Provost ("Stardust") occupies a complicated subject within the first feature, "The Enemy," even though frosh helmer tries so desperately to avoid cliches that his story becomes impenetrable. Story from the illegal African immigrant who strikes up rapport getting a white-colored lady within the city is principally including, but too enigmatic to convey anything concrete about either the couple's odd co-dependency or how they may be read as metaphors for North-South relations. Beyond sprocket operas trying to find films getting a topical edge, that is strictly niche fare. Pic's most effective moments are its first and last moments, which appear produced as stand-alone shorts. An audacious opening Steadicam shot starts getting an extremely unusual physiological closeup about the nudist beach. The digital camera then follows the body parts' owner (Hannelore Knuts, the helmer's g.f.) as she'll wake up and walks toward the sea, where several African males, probably shipwrecked, are fighting later on ashore. D.p. Franck Van Family room Eeden follows the woman until she rests her eye -- as well as the camera zooms in on -- the facial skin and naked bust from the particularly well-built guy, Amadou (Issaka Sawadogo). Provost then finishes the extended take and cuts with a similar medium closeup shot in the naked lady, turning his opening in to a potent succession of dialogue-free images, filled with the characters' curiosity, admiration in addition to wish to have each other, but practically missing of political tension. But as Provost abandons the sun's sun rays-drenched beach for cold-searching The town, and before pic's closing scene, he doesn't develop any similarly memorable moments of filmmaking. Utilizing a tunnel sequence (which relies on a mirror technique Provost employed better in "Papillon d'Amour"), auds are moved for the Euro capital. Drawn in flat, drably colored and antiseptic shots, this is often a city getting a definite inadequate warmth together with a continuing sense of hostility hiding inside the shadows. Amadou works unlawfully in construction while attempting to take care of an ill guy (Dieudonne Kabongo) from his home country. In addition to numerous other immigrants, they are allowed for a while to squat inside an abandoned building controlled by Amadou's shady companies, no less than, until he's forced out. When Amadou spies an elegant businesswoman, he becomes passionate about her and follows her around as being a madman -- instead of worrying about where he might sleep your evening or visit consume. Inside the pic's numerous cases of misplaced humor, he finally introduces themselves to her as "Mr. Obama," another businessman. Knowing by her title, the woman, Agnes (Stefania Rocca), can be a local, though this is not borne out by Italo thesp Rocca's terrible delivery in French (the cadences in the language certainly are a mystery to her). Amadou/Obama's reliance on Agnes has stalker-ant qualities, especially since its never apparent whether he's taken having a severe situation of amour fou or thinks that bedding this unique wealthy lady could possibly get him ahead around. Since he is not lots of talker, and Provost offers hardly anything else, Amadou remains a handsome mystery guy. Agnes, meanwhile, is stuck in the relationship along with her dull technocrat husband (Tibo Vandenborre), so she's not against some hot sex getting a highly-built black guy, though she's quick to reject his advances when he wants more. This may lead to the pic's final, especially murky stretch. Though Sawadogo's a captivating enough artist not to let auds weary within the character, his actions are without motivation, it is therefore difficult to finally care, and impossible to determine anything much much deeper into the couple's rapport. Newcomer Provost clearly struggles while using demands to keep a long narrative, if this involves storytelling additionally to pictures, with every once in awhile awkward cuts between creating shots and closer sights. Unmemorable score doesn't offer auds any clues.Camera (color, HD), Franck Van Family room Eeden editor, Nico Leunen music, Sacha Galperine, Evgueni Galperine art director, Francoise Joset costume designer, Nathalie Leborgne appear (Dolby Digital), Senjan Jansen line producer, X assistant director, David Oeyen casting, Michael Bier, Kadija Leclere, Nicolas Ronchi. Examined at Venice Film Festival (Horizons), Sept. 4, 2011. (Also in Toronto Film Festival -- Discovery San Sebastian Film Festival -- Zabaltegi Pearls.) Running time: 93 MIN. Contact Boyd van Hoeij at news@variety.com