Pater

Friday, March 2, 2012

Star Vincent Lindon in person! France’s most unpredictable filmmaker, the wonderful Alain Cavalier (Le combat dans l’île, Thérèse) teams up with an actor in every way his eccentric equal, Vincent Lindon, to create this sly, witty look at men, power and politics. Cavalier himself takes the part of an imaginary President of the Republic, searching for a Prime Minister, who turns out to be Lindon. The two develop a kind of filial relationship, complete with all the accompanying jealousies, competitiveness and affection. Shot, like all of Cavalier’s recent works, with a handheld digital camera, Pater was largely a kind of “improvised adventure,” as Cavalier described it; he would often come up with an idea or a few lines of dialog, and from there he and Lindon would invent each scene. The result is a film at once revealing, provocative, and consistently engaging—a cinematic game that asks the spectators to play along.

Pater also screens Saturday, March 3 at 6:30 at BAMCinemathek, with star Vincent Lindon in person.

Part of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2012

• Country France
• Language In French with English subtitles
• Rating NR
• Running Time 105 minutes
• Director Alain Cavalier

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.