A playwright of note, Darius developed a drinking problem after his first major hit, and has taken time out from writing his follow-up to go to a clinic and dry out. After his release, Darius finds his producer has hired a leading lady for his next show, booked the theater and advertised the starting date -- all without Darius writing so much as a word of this new play. Darius desperately tries to come up with ideas, but nothing comes to mind, with an inflexible deadline staring him in the face. One day, Darius kills a neighbor's cat by accident; terribly depressed, he swallows some sedatives and falls asleep at his computer -- only to awake with the beginning of his play glowing on the screen. Darius is now convinced he must kill in order to create, and starts murdering an ever-expanding variety of creatures in order to satisfy his now bloodthirsty muse.
Acting
Dupontel's sweaty desperation is uncomfortably relatable
Writing
Meta-commentary that bites the hand that writes it
Direction
Balances grotesque and hilarious without winking
Director
Albert Dupontel
Albert Dupontel
Darius
Claude Perron
Chloé Duval
Philippe Uchan
Victor
Michel Vuillermoz
Simon
Nicolas Marié
Pierre
Patrick Ligardes
Gildas
Michel Fau
Nicolas
Xavier Tchili
Mietek
Dominique Bettenfeld
Jésus
Terry Jones
Dieu
Christiane Cohendy
La mère
Frédéric Constant
Voisin furieux
Jacques Herlin
Le Majordome
Marie Daëms
Odette
Micheline Boudet
Edmée
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Dupontel was already a respected comedian in France; this was his directorial debut, essentially roasting his own industry.
The film slyly critiques the 'tortured artist' myth by making Darius genuinely mediocre—his success came from one fluke, and his 'muse' demands increasingly cheap shocks.
FR
