Alain Cavalier
France | 2017 | 50 min
World premiere
Language : French
Subtitle : English
“In the morning, Philippe Labro, with his team around a table, prepares his four interviews for that afternoon. An actor, a writer, a theatre actor, and a boxer. Each is filmed in the studio in a single 28-minute take with tracking shots and mirror effects. No room for mistakes. This is high level sport.” (A. Cavalier)
Philippe Labro is a famous personality. A journalist, novelist, filmmaker, he has won awards on all levels. Alain Cavalier films him in his role as demiurge, with his editorial staff. The camera seizes the spirit of the professional, who sketches out the scenario of each interview, without neglecting any detail. The assuredness of his acts, the meticulous checking of the interviewees’ biographies, the aplomb with which he receives them, call to mind the nonchalance of a cat playing with a mouse. Unlike the other portraits, here time does not cover a period assessed in months or years but, instead, the short journey that separates the preparation of the interviews, the peaceful presence in the TV studio and the moment he leaves his office, like an actor walking off stage. Everything is on time and lasts as long as a breath. Precision at work.
Luciano Barisone
