Arte and Olivier Cossu present this Wednesday at 22:30 on the Franco-German channel Un homme est Mort. The story of Brest workers who strike in the 1950s. Political and committed film, to discover tonight on Arte.
When cinema echoes reality
What is striking about A Man is Dead is its status that is still totally current. Olivier Cossu understood this well. Like Stephane Brizé and his recent En Guerre, the filmmaker uses cinema to touch the public about the deplorable working conditions of the working class. But while At War uses some fiction, A Man is Dead prefers to use history. Olivier Cossu uses the memory and historical dimension as reflections of our society. There is no better pedagogy: learning from past mistakes. His film, inspired by a true story, and adapted from a comic book, fully echoes the recent protests that have ignited the capital. When history teaches a lesson.
Thus, the spectator follows a group of workers bullied by their municipality, who will try to make themselves heard. With the help of a filmmaker, they will film their working conditions and fight with the image rather than with their fists. A work full of good feelings, but also intelligent, which allows us to take a step back from our current situation. Olivier Cossu wants to remind us that inaction is a form of acceptance , with his last line "at least they will never have our Sunday", followed by a warning that nothing is taken for granted, that the fight is constantly present. The duality between risk-taking, action and inaction is also at the heart of the film: the filmmaker seeks to separate courage from stupidity, action from inaction. Olivier Cossu is full of spontaneity. While Arte wanted a happy ending, Olivier Cossu managed to fall into the in-between with this superb last line. A Man is Dead is a simple work, which combines 2D and 3D: the scenery is in 2D while the characters are in 3D. Political, social and touching, Olivier Cossu hit the nail on the head.
A short and interesting film about the observation of a working class left behind. Broadcast tonight at 22:30 on Arte, do not miss A Man is Dead presented in Annecy.
