Ouvert la nuit (2017)
Directed by Edouard Baer

Film Review

In view of his apparent omnipresence - on radio, television and cinema - Édouard Baer probably has a higher profile in France than the French president.  Not content with being a successful comedian on television and radio, Baer became a pukka film actor, then a film director, and it then became apparent he might have overreached himself.  Baer's first two directorial offerings - La Bostella (2000) and Akoibon (2005) - are not much to write home about and are probably best forgotten.  His third attempt, Ouvert la nuit, is a different story, however, and by casting himself in the leading role, of what looks like the cheekiest homage to the French classic La Traversée de Paris, Baer is able to play to his strengths as an improvisationist comedian and delivers a winner.

As an actor, Baer is always at his most convincing when he is nearest to his natural comedy persona, a likeable clown with an air of false self-confidence that barely conceals his tenuous grip on reality.  If there's one person who could be relied upon to escort a chimpanzee all around Paris after dark without looking ridiculous or sinister that person has to be Édouard Baer.  On this dubious errand he is accompanied by Sabrina Ouazani, so it's not all monkey business, although the chimp seems to better behaved and stands more chance of winning a César.

As Baer scours the capital on a seemingly futile quest for a primate and some ready cash he composes an affectionate personal love letter to la Ville Lumière, one that swings between melancholic introspection and comic absurdity.  Audrey Tautou, Michel Galabru (in his last screen role) and Grégory Gadebois are all welcome additions to this idiosyncratic personal odyssey, but it is Paris who is the star of the film. We should thank Baer (and also his cinematographer Yves Angelo) for restoring to the City of the Lights something of the mystique and romance that has been missing from French cinema in recent decades.  Ouvert la nuit is the most unexpected comedy delight.

Film Synopsis

Just before his latest show The Woman and the Ape is due to open, Parisian theatre manager Luigi finds himself up to his neck in trouble.  Not only does he have his cast and crew up in arms demanding to be paid, he also has his Japanese director on his back, insisting that he provides a real live chimpanzee for the show.  Unless Luigi can resolve these matters within the next 24 hours his latest production will be cancelled and his theatre will have to close for business.  So, without delay, he sets off on a long quest of the capital in search of money and a chimp, accompanied by his faithful intern Faeza.  For Luigi it will be a night to remember...