Recent Denys Arcand films involve an examination of an element of society and a pokey stick through the heart of that element. An Eye for Beauty examined beauty up close where The Fall of the American Empire | La chute de l'empire américain takes a few shots at the extreme wage gap.
The Fall of the American Empire isn't remotely connected to The Decline of the American Empire, Arcand's breakthrough 1986 film. Sometimes film titles get lost in translation but that isn't the case with Arcand film.
Pierre-Paul Daoust (Alexandre Landry, TIFF Rising Star 2014, who was featured in Gabrielle) has a PhD in philosophy, helps the homeless, and has little awareness otherwise. Pierre-Paul works as a package deliveryman who comes upon a large sum of money after a robbery gone wrong.
Aspasie aka Camille Lafontaine (Maripier Morin) is the heart-of-gold very expensive escort. Pierre-Paul is lured by her use of Aspasie from Greek mythology.
Rémy Girard, who is an Arcand regular, is The Brain and ends up being the brains behind the venture over what to do with all of the money. Wilbrod Taschereau (Pierre Curzi) ends up being a key part of the puzzle.
The cops (Maxim Roy and Louis Morissette) are only some of the people chasing after Pierre-Paul and the money.
The film starts out with audio from a sports call-in show about whether Montréal Canadiens goalie Carey Price is worth $10 million. Rich, poor, and lots of money laundering. Pierre-Paul says money isn't important but is a deliveryman because the job pays more than a philosophy professor.
Daoust is very weak as a character but somehow draws people into his world, mostly because they feel sorry for him. The chemistry between Pierre-Paul and Aspasie is oil in Montréal and vinegar in Quebec City.
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The casting of Maripier Morin, primarily a TV host and columnist who is making her feature film debut, might seem as odd a choice as Melanie Merkosky was for Lindsay, Luc's lover, in An Eye for Beauty. The outer beauty is what these characters need to prove Arcand's societal points. Morin's character is what the film needs at the end of the film more than in the middle of the film.
Arcand may overlook those flaws because the storyline about what to do with the money is the social satire we come to expect from the acclaimed French-Canadian writer/director.
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Arcand makes great use of Montréal with specific places such as the La Délithèque restaurant, the nearby Laurier Metro stop on the Orange Line, and St. Joseph's Oratory.
The Decline of the American Empire is one of the great Canadian films in great part for its amazing dialogue. The Fall of the American Empire is in a different chapter of Arcand's career. His last few films are more about social satire.
The latter film is worth the journey, however awkward that trip. The social message was delivered better in this film than what we get on the news.
video credit: YouTube/Sony Pictures Classics
photo credit: The Fall of the American Empire film; me
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