Forever Young (French: Les Amandiers) is a 2022 French-Italian comedy-drama film directed by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. It is a semi-autobiographical account of Tedeschi's experiences as a young actress in the 1980s.[2]
| Forever Young | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Valeria Bruni Tedeschi |
| Written by | Noémie Lvovsky Caroline Deruas-Garrel Valeria Bruni Tedeschi |
| Produced by | Alexandra Henochsberg |
| Starring | Nadia Tereszkiewicz Louis Garrel Micha Lescot |
| Cinematography | Julien Poupard |
| Edited by | Anne Weil |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Ad Vitam Distribution |
Release dates |
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Running time | 125 minutes |
| Countries | France Italy |
| Language | French |
| Box office | $1.9 million[1] |
Plot
editSet in the late 1980s, the film follows a group of young actors who enter into Les Amandiers, the prestigious acting school founded by Patrice Chéreau and Pierre Romans.[3] Over the course of a few months, these young people form new friendships, discover the realities of love and come of age, all set to the backdrop of a changing culture.[4]
Cast
edit- Nadia Tereszkiewicz as Stella
- Sofiane Bennacer as Étienne
- Louis Garrel as Patrice Chéreau
- Micha Lescot as Pierre Romans
- Clara Bretheau as Adèle
- Vassili Schneider as Victor
- Eva Danino as Claire
- Oscar Lesage as Stéphane
- Sarah Henochsberg as Laurence
- Liv Henneguier as Juliette
- Baptiste Carrion-Weiss as Baptiste
- Alexia Chardard as Camille
- Léna Garrel as Anaïs
- Noham Edje as Franck
- Suzanne Lindon as The Waitress
- Franck Demules as The Guardian
- Isabelle Renauld as Chéreau's Assistant
- Sandra Nkaké as Susan
- Bernard Nissille as Gaspard
- Lolita Chammah as Costume Designer (non-speaking)
Release
editThe film was screened as the closing film at the Rome Film Festival 2023.[5]
Controversy
editIn November 2022, the newspaper Le Parisien reported that Sofiane Bennacer, the male star of the film, had been indicted in October for sexual and physical abuse against multiple women.[6] In response, the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma chose to remove Bennacer from their annual Revelations List,[7] and multiple cinemas cancelled their screenings of the film.[8][9] The women also denounced the director Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, alleging that she had created an atmosphere of omertà on the set of the film. Bruni Tedeschi admitted to being aware of the rumors surrounding Bennacer, but decided to give him the part anyway.[10][11][12][13]
Bennacer denied the allegations of abuse, posting a message on his Instagram account: "Does the presumption of innocence still exist? Or are we in a state of lawlessness, a state where a simple baseless accusation can destroy someone's life?" Bruni Tedeschi, who at the time was Bennacer's partner, denounced the allegations as a "media lynching."[14] Carla Bruni, the younger sister of Bruni Tedeschi, also denounced the allegations on the grounds of "presumption of innocence."[15]
References
edit- ^ "Forever Young (2022)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "LES AMANDIERS - Festival de Cannes 2023".
- ^ Zilko, Christian (22 May 2022). "'Forever Young' First Look: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi Makes a Splash at Cannes with '80s Coming-of-Age Story". Indiewire. Indiewire. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ^ "Les Amandiers". AlloCine.
- ^ Bordino, by Margherita (22 October 2022). "Festa del Cinema di Roma: si conclude la 17esima edizione, tutti i premi" [Rome Film Fest: the 17th edition concludes, all the awards]. Arttribune (in Italian). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ Décugis, Jean-Michel; Tabet, Marie-Christine (22 November 2022). "L'acteur Sofiane Bennacer mis en examen pour viols et violences sur des ex-conjointes" ["The actor Sofiane Bennacer indicted for rape and violence against his ex-partners"]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (23 November 2022). "French Césars Remove Actor From 2023 Revelations List Following Sexual Assault Allegations". Deadline. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Couston, Jérémie (25 November 2022). ""Les Amandiers" déprogrammé d'un cinéma : "On ne peut plus montrer le film de manière anodine"" ["Forever Young cancelled from a cinema: One cannot show this film in an anodyne manner"]. Télérama (in French). Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Onana, Sandra. "Déprogrammation des "Amandiers" : "Qu'on le veuille ou non, le film est entré dans le débat public"" ["Whoever wants it or not, the film has entered the public debate"]. Libération (in French). Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Leray, Cassandre. ""J'ai clairement dit non et il le faisait quand même" : trois femmes accusent l'acteur Sofiane Bennacer de viols et de violences" ["I clearly said no and to him it was all the same: three women accuse the actor Sofiane Bennacer of rape and violence"]. Libération (in French). Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Vicente, Álex (19 May 2023). "Valeria Bruni Tedeschi: "Lamento haber rodado mi película, ninguna obra vale este sufrimiento"" ["Valeria Bruni Tedeschi: I regret having shot my film, no work of art deserves this suffering"]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (25 November 2022). "Sofiane Bennacer, French Actor of Cannes Competition Title 'Forever Young,' Indicted on Rape Charges, Removed From Cesar Awards Shortlist". Variety. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Chollet, Mona (3 December 2022). "'Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi did not stop to analyze the power games that were playing out in her school'". Le Monde. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Dryef, Zineb; Fabre, Clarisse; Rof, Gilles; Stey, Nathalie (26 November 2022). "L'affaire Sofiane Bennacer embarrasse le cinéma français" ["The Sofiane Bennacer affair is an embarrassment to French cinema]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ Bremner, Charles (20 May 2023). "Carla Bruni defends actor banned from César film awards amid rape claims". The Times. Retrieved 20 May 2023.