Schroeder and Magimel in Japan for Inju, la proie dans l’ombre

by Fabien Lemercier

02/10/2007 - After the success of his documentary Terror’s Adovate [trailer], which screened in May at the Cannes Film Festival (see article), Barbet Schroeder is returning to features, with principal photography beginning in Tokyo on Monday on the thriller Inju, la proie dans l’ombre (“Inju: The Prey in the Shadow”).

Heading the bill are Benoît Magimel and Japan’s Lika Minamoto, Ken Honda, Gen Shimaoka (Alain Corneau’s Fear and Trembling [trailer]) and well-known Ryo Ishibashi.

An adaptation by the director, Jean-Armand Bougrelle and Frédérique Henry of Edogawa Ranpo’s 1925 detective novel La Proie et l'Ombre, the film centres on Alex Fayard (Magimel), a novelist who comes to Japan to promote his new book. During his stay, he falls passionately in love with a geisha (Minamoto), who tells him she has received death threats from her lover.

In accepting to help her, he finds himself face to face with Shundei Oe, a director of thrillers of which Alex is an expert in France. This encounter plunges him into a world of mystery and perversity, following the traces of a man hungry for revenge.

At 33, Magimel continues to build an impressive filmography. Discovered at the age of 12 in Etienne Chatiliez’ Life is a Long Quiet River and winner of Best Actor at Cannes 2001 (Michael Haneke’s The Piano Teacher), the actor has worked with Claude Chabrol (The Flower of Evil, The Bridesmaid [trailer] and A Girl Cut in Two [trailer]), Mathieu Kassovitz (Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse), Olivier Dahan (Déjà mort), Benoît Jacquot (A Single Girl) and André Techiné (Thieves), among others.

Tomorrow he will be on screens in Florent Emilio Siri’s Ennemi intime [trailer] (see news), December 5 with Jalil Lespert’s 24 mesures [trailer] (article) and next year with Michel Houellebecq’s The Possibility of an Island [trailer] (see article and news) before meeting up with Frédéric Schoendoerffer again for the shoot of Lutetia (see news) after their previous collaboration on Crime Insiders [trailer].

Produced by Saïd Ben Saïd for SBS Films in co-production with La Fabrique de Films and France 2 Cinéma, Inju, la proie dans l’ombre, which is set to finish lensing on December 16, carries an estimated budget of €11m and may get an Italian co-producer.

The title, which will be photographed by DoP Luciano Tovoli, will be distributed in French theatres in the second half of 2008 by UGC, who is also handling international sales.

(Translated from French)