BigBug, the return of Jean-Pierre Jeunet

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The film BigBug available on Netfilx since February 11, 2022, marks the return behind the camera of Jean-Pierre Jeunet after 9 years of absence. BigBug photo 2 BigBug, the return of Jean-Pierre Jeunet In 2045, life is made easier by technology, which is ubiquitous in all aspects of everyday life. Humans no longer bother to write by hand. Their guardian angel is house robots that satisfy their every desire. When a Yonyx android revolt breaks out outside, the robots lock down Alice's (Elsa Zylberstein) house to protect its colorful occupants. This is the beginning of a cohabitation between machines and humans.

The imprint of Jeunet.

Post-apocalyptic universes where a disturbing strangeness reigns that the burlesque aspect comes to magnify, are the trademark of director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. We remember the crazy and agonizing daily life of the residents of a building in Delicatessen in 1991 or the thief of children's dreams in The City of Lost Children in 1995 . BigBug is part of this futuristic vision continuity where androids disguised as Robocop take power over humans dazed by a meaningless life. Going so far as to ridicule them in absurd circus games. Beyond the sometimes missed aspects of the film, he questions us about today's society and the frantic race for technology. Photo BigBug 4 BigBug, the return of Jean-Pierre Jeunet

A staging at the service of a forgotten story.

Nevertheless, we find Jean-Pierre Jeunet's style of staging, whether in the use of panoramics, which highlight the richness of the décor dotted with antiques showing the technological evolution of the last century. At the turn of a shot, we contemplate a rubik's cube that has become an object frozen by time under a glass case. The play on close-ups that sculpt and freeze the faces on the screen is totally part of the meticulous work of staging that has made the success of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's previous works. First, the iconic, Fabuleux destin by Amélie Poulain in 2001. We find in BigBug characters or should we say voices that are renewed with each of his films. Thus, the crazy robot Einstein to whom André Dussollier lends his voice is reminiscent of Irvin from The City of Lost Children, who as here had answers to everything.  

The big bug of the movie.

The film's weakness lies in the story itself, which is far too superficial. If we add the overinterpretation of some actors such as Claire Chust who embodies Jennifer and whose speech and absurd potiche play strongly resemble the character of Dorothy Doll, played by Frédérique Bel in La minute blonde. The alchemy desired by this fable about progress struggles to emerge from the caricature aspect of many situations. The cyborg Yonyx (François Levantal) with parodied wickedness inspires less anxiety than the killer cyclops (François Hadji-Lazaro) in The City of Lost Children. Photo BigBug 3 BigBug, the return of Jean-Pierre Jeunet Only Isabelle Nanty , who plays the neighbor Françoise, manages to stay in the accuracy of her character without having to overplay her emotions. The closed door quickly becomes cumbersome. It removes the magic that Jean-Pierre Jeunet managed to infuse into his previous films. It is regrettable that the story is predictable and that some situations border on the absurd. Should we take as proof with this film, that cinema and money do not always mix. Very often, it is financial constraints that stimulate creativity. BigBug will unfortunately remain for many reasons a unique work in the career of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. We can keep in mind that this feature film marks his first collaboration with Netflix.