The first official film of the festival for
me (press screenings to be released later on VultureHound) and I was super
excited to be back in the Embankment Cinema. A fantastic construction with a
huge pleasing screen complete with red carpets and a welcome bar and box
office, all a stone’s throw away from the river. Rather upset I won’t get to go
back there during the festival. As this was a matinee, no special guests
popped up to intro the film, which is always a nice touch at the festival, alas
not this time.
Racer and the Jailbird or Le Fidèle as it’s known as in France, is the Belgian thriller drama about a
gangster and racing car driver who fall in head fast in love, with one of my
favourites Matthias Schoenaerts and Adele Exarchopoulos (of Blue is the Warmest
Colour fame) as the title characters. They are the glamourous couple, Gigi (Schoenaerts) and Bibi (Exarchopoulos) who seem fun, exciting and passionate. Their relationship is put to the test more than once, sometimes with devastating consquences. The two actors are perfectly cast and well matched with screen presence that isn't taken more by the other, they are of exact equals in the story.
From a distressful childhood to a dangerous
adulthood, Gigi lives life on the edge but does enjoy the thrill of the chase
when it comes to robbing banks with his band of violent criminals. But when he
meets Bibi, infatuated from the second he sees her, he starts to want another
life and starts to pull away from his friends. But the its the ‘one last job’
trap where something is bound to go wrong does. Gigi no longer is thriller by
the jobs anymore, he loses interest but goes along with it all out of loyalty. There is no doubt that Gigi is in love with Bibi and the sense that she represents freedom, a theme that is brought up a few times, and with her he can give up being a gangster. Bibi is given th harder task of having to prove that she is loyal and can be trusted despite having to turn Gigi in, most likely against her will, as she wants to run away with him. Bibi is no damsel in distress, she is a talented driver and can handle herself in the face of danger.
Split into three section, 'Gigi', 'Bibi' and 'No flowers', we get to see the relationship development, obverse the lies and witness the crumbing of their time together and apart. Each section shows a different part of their lives beginning with new love and intrigue to the fall out when love and passion takes over but doesn't win the day to desperate times with a looming tragedy that feels too quick. And yet, the ending, although odd and slightly mysterious, is almost its own section of the film, sepcualting a passing teasing question could in fact be true, I hope it is as it would shine a whole new light on the story.