11/01/2023 - Jimmy Laporal-Trésor’s popular yet political debut feature film depicts the violent Paris-based clash between youngsters from housing estates and skinheads in 1984

Marvin Dubart, Taddeo Kufus, Jonathan Feltre, Missoum Slimani and Jonathan Eap in Rascals

"They smashed my face in, so what? It’s not like I’m dead. No cops. We’ll sort it out in the street".  "I want to be there. I want to see everything". There’s a fairly dizzying mirror effect brought about by Rascals [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Jimmy Laporal-Trésor’s first feature film released in French cinemas by The Jokers and Les Bookmakers. Taking us back to June 1984, the date of the far right’s first electoral breakthrough in France (winning 11% of the vote and securing the nomination of ten ministers in the European elections), the film reflects current political trends with disturbing accuracy, at a time when the far right is reaching impressive heights, if not taking power in certain European countries.

Despite navigating this ideological tale, sketching a portrait of France at that time and of the clash between multicultural youth from the Parisian banlieue and fascist skinheads, this glimpse in the rear-view mirror is by no means a Manichean political work. Instead, the filmmaker (who doesn’t hide his social engagement) chooses to focus on the cycle of vengeance and hatred fuelled by evil political geniuses and by societal flaws. But above all, he adopts a somewhat radical stylistic approach to offer up a colourful reconstruction of working class Parisian youngsters who were fascinated by 1950s America (creepers, chinos, leather jackets, black American rock and the beginnings of hip-hop) and drawn like butterflies to the bubbling centre of a capital city, filmed in cool and oppressive tones by director of photography Romain Carcanade (The Swarm [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Just Philippot
film profile]).

With the word "Rascals" emblazoned on the backs of their jackets, Rudy (Jonathan Feltre) the West Indian, Rico (Missoum Slimani), who presents himself as Italian despite coming from North Africa, Sovann (Jonathan Eap), who comes from Cambodia, Mandale (Marvin Dubart) and Boboche (Taddeo Kufus) make up a group of firm friends to whom teenager Mitch (Emerick Mamilonne) is attracted. All roughly 18 years old, the Rascals think of nothing but going out in Paris, concerts and girls, despite the threat of unemployment or compulsory military service hanging over them. But on account of an incredibly violent altercation at a record store, their path then crosses that of student Frédérique (Angelina Woreth) and, by proxy, that of Adam (Victor Meutelet) and his pack of far-right supporters. A chain of events is triggered, a very dangerous spiral in which weapons (from baseball bats to guns) play a key part…

Immersing himself in the various codes of these two opposed youth groups, Jimmy Laporal-Trésor delivers a tense and hard-hitting first feature film which is continually on the move. Deliberately straightforward in its narrative approach and slightly uneven in terms of its acting, the film is an audacious and promising (though not entirely accomplished) first effort by a director who clearly refuses any kind of stereotyping in sociological and stylistic representations.

Rascals is produced by Spade (the production arm of The Jokers Films) and Agat Films in co-production with France 2 Cinéma, and is sold by Wild Bunch International.

(Translated from French)