01/10/2024 - With his first feature, Antoine Besse revisits the theme of skateboarding as the vehicle for a story about an unusual friendship between two outsiders – characters rarely represented on screen

Ten years after his successful short film Le Skate moderne (2014), French director Antoine Besse follows it up with his feature-length drama Ollie [+see also:
interview: Antoine Besse
film profile] – named after a fundamental skateboarding move necessary in order to leap over obstacles and to do advanced flip tricks.

The title of the picture, which had its international premiere at the Namur International French-language Film Festival, is particularly apt in three ways: firstly, this story that one might think is mainly about skateboarding is actually about much more than that – the board is merely the catapult to get the story off the ground, and it could have been horse riding or drumming instead. Secondly, for the filmmaker, it is a return to his roots – the small village in the French Dordogne region where he grew up. Last but not least, both of the main characters have to put in a lot of groundwork to cope with their grief and trauma.

The beginning of the film draws us in quickly: we are introduced to a thirty-something misfit, Bertrand (Théo Christine), who is drunkenly getting into a fight after saving a dog from an abusive situation. From there, we quickly move on to 13-year-old boy Pierre (Kristen Billon), who is sent to live on his father’s farm in a remote village after the brutal death of his mother. Both characters are outsiders: Bertrand’s only friends are his dogs, and Pierre’s only enjoyment in life is skateboarding. The other boys in the latter’s school bully him mercilessly, sharing humiliating videos of the battered Pierre online.

When Pierre asks Bertrand, a former skater himself, to teach him, Bertrand needs some time to warm to the idea. But as soon as he realises that the kid is just as much of an outsider as he is, he agrees, and soon, a brotherly bond develops between the two.

At the starting point, Bertrand has nowhere to go – his only option is sinking deeper down. Pierre is his chance for a do-over, and he becomes protective of the boy, who in turn gains more confidence. But Pierre’s situation escalates when he challenges the school bullies to a skating battle.

The story’s pacing and cinematography mirror the skateboarding itself. The highs and lows, the difficult-to-watch violent scenes and the lighter ones, as the well as the camera movements, are meticulously timed and keep the audience engaged. Both actors portray their characters in an authentic way, and viewers who grew up in the countryside will be able to relate to them particularly well. For a big-city audience, the film might reduce their prejudice concerning “countryfolk”.

Ollie also deals with issues such as the struggles of dairy farmers and first love, but despite the density of its subjects, it never feels mushy. Having said that, the relationship between Pierre’s father (Cédric Kahn) and his son could have been explored in a bit more depth.

Ollie was produced by Rezo Productions. Following the judicial liquidation of distributor Rezo Films, as announced by the Paris Commercial Court on 12 March 2024, the film is one of the last to be distributed by the company. The Bureau Sales is in charge of its international sales.