Immerse yourself behind the scenes of the theatre, one hour before the first performance! This is what The Trajectory of the Lobster, a film directed by Vincent Giovanni and Igor Mendjisky, offers you. This film presented in French competition for the Champs-Elysées Film Festival has the distinction of having been conceived, written and shot in the space of three weeks. A big challenge that the film team set itself. So, has the challenge been successfully met? Focus!
Colorful characters
The advantage when we talk about theater and we call on actors from this environment is that we can present colorful figures. This is what La trajectoire du Homard does brilliantly. Each character is identifiable very quickly, both by his look and his character. This allows instant attachment to the members of this funny troop. The interpretation is also for a lot in the attachment to the protagonists. The actors give everything they have and seem to take a lot of pleasure in playing their respective roles. Whether unsympathetic, friendly, or out of touch with reality, each figure is hilarious at one time or another. Moving from one character to another in the manner of theatrical scenes, the rhythm almost never weakens and the interactions between the protagonists keep us in suspense throughout the film.
If we had to find a negative point to these characters, however, it would be their cruel lack of subtlety. It's hard to blame them, as the film was created in just three weeks, leaving little room to work on them in depth. And after all, the theatrical side of the work goes with these very marked and unnuanced characters. But it could have been interesting to flesh out some of the film's figures to give a little more consistency to the story. The feature film lasts barely 1h10, it would surely have been possible to add about ten minutes in this perspective.
Fresh and hilarious dialogues
If improvisation is not the best exercise for character development, it is clear that it makes the dialogues amazing. The interactions transpire the natural, while remaining funny or even touching at times. Of course, improvisation is sometimes felt, but it brings to this theatrical environment a good dose of realism.
The discussions follow one another with fluidity and take us as close as possible to these characters. And anyone who has ever done theater, even in a very small troupe, will have fun finding the same stress among these characters that he knew before his performances. These dialogues are usually coupled with grotesque situations that are particularly well felt. We will think in particular of the scene of the interview where the creator of the play The trajectory of the lobster finds himself facing a passionate journalist, but also very incompetent.The dialogues hit the mark most of the time and convey a lot of humor in a very natural way.However, we will note some interactions that dragged on and that would have deserved a break a little earlier. But despite this quibbles, the dialogues undeniably remain the strong point of this film shot in a hurry.
A summary staging
Who says "filming in a hurry" says "simplicity of staging". We therefore sail as close as possible to our characters during the majority of the film. Close-ups or even very close-ups are legion and propel us closer to these theatrical figures. Relevant choice because it helps with attachment.The use of black and white gives a rather nice and even old-school cachet to the film, which is rather audacious. The camera being very moving, perhaps the film would have benefited from landing a little more at times, but overall the immersion is total.
If we feel that it was shot in a hurry, The Trajectory of the Lobster is an absolutely convincing success. Despite the imperfections that dot the film here and there, this one does remarkably well and we could even say that these little bungles add a touch of poetry. A very charming film that deserves to be discovered, which is still possible since several screenings are planned during this Champs-Elysées Film Festival !
