email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

PRODUCTION France

Anne Fontaine filming Marvin

by 

- The cast includes Finnegan Oldfield, Jules, Grégory Gadebois, Vincent Macaigne, Catherine Salée, Catherine Mouchet, Isabelle Huppert and Charles Berling

Anne Fontaine filming Marvin
Director Anne Fontaine

The first part of the shoot for the 15th feature by Anne Fontaine, Marvin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, is entering the home stretch this week in the Vosges Mountains, after it kicked off at the beginning of August in Xertigny. According to Cineuropa’s sources, the film – a loose adaptation of the hard-hitting autobiographical novel En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule by Edouard Louis, a 2014 bestseller – boasts a cast that includes rising star Finnegan Oldfield (nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2016 for Cowboys [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, also popular in Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story) [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eva Husson
film profile
]
, and soon to appear in Nocturama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bertrand Bonello
film profile
]
and Heal the Living [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Katell Quillévéré
film profile
]
), young actor Jules (who will be playing the role of the titular child), Grégory Gadebois (nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2012 for Angel & Tony [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
and for the César Award for Best Actor in 2014 for One of a Kind [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), Vincent Macaigne (nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2014 for The Rendez-Vous of Déjà-Vu [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, also putting on fine performances in such titles as Tonnerre [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillaume Brac
film profile
]
, News from Planet Mars [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
and Struggle for Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), Belgium’s Catherine Salée (Magritte Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2014 for Blue Is the Warmest Colour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Abdellatif Kechiche
film profile
]
, and nominated in 2013 for Mobile Home [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
and in 2015 for Two Days, One Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
film profile
]
), and seasoned performers Catherine Mouchet, Isabelle Huppert and Charles Berling.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Written by Anne Fontaine and Pierre Trividic (winner of the César Award for Best Adaptation in 2007 for Lady Chatterley [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), the story revolves around Martin Clément, born Marvin Bijou, who ran away from his hometown and his family. He retells his story through a stage play that proves to be a smash hit. But at what price?

Interestingly, while the film borrows its central plot from the novel by Edouard Louis (which outlines the childhood and teenage years of a young boy in a village, where he is shunned by the inhabitants and even by his own family when he comes out as a homosexual), it simultaneously takes the story a littler further, as the movie follows the character until the age of 23, whereas the storyline of the book comes to a halt when he starts secondary school. Delving into the topics of stigmatisation just because someone is different and the building of one’s identity, the plot also shows how the character eventually manages to dig himself out of a very distressing situation thanks to his various encounters.

Having risen to fame in the Cannes Critics’ Week in 1993 with Love Affairs Usually End Badly, Anne Fontaine went on to be selected twice more on the Croisette (with Augustin in Un Certain Regard in 1995 and Oh La La! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
out of competition in 2006). She has also been in competition at Venice (Dry Cleaning, which won the Best Screenplay Award in 1997), Locarno (How I Killed My Father [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
in 2001) and San Sebastián (In His Hands [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
in 2005). Among her other films, we could mention Coco Before Chanel [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(2009), Adore [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(2013), Gemma Bovery [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(2014) and Agnus Dei [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lou de Laâge
film profile
]
(which world-premiered at Sundance 2016).

Produced by Philippe Carcassonne for Ciné@ and by Pierre-Alexandre Schwab for P.A.S. Productions, Marvin is being co-produced by F Comme Film, Mars Films (which will handle the French theatrical distribution) and France 2 Cinéma. Having also been pre-purchased by Canal+ and Ciné+, the feature will continue shooting until 30 September in Paris (for two weeks), Valencia, in the Vosges once again, and lastly three days in Portugal. Its international sales will be handled by TF1 Studio.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy