Événement

THE CONQUEST, Biography, NR, 105 min, in French with English Subtitles

"A vivid re-imagining of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's rise to power and the simultaneous unraveling of his marriage." Associated Press

Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2011

Denis Podalydès delivers a witty yet commanding portrayal of Nicolas Sarkozy and his rise to the French presidency through the lens of his unraveling marriage to then-wife Cecilia (Florence Pernel). Never one to disguise his ambition, the film's Sarkozy curries favor with predecessor Jacques Chirac (Bernard Le Coq) and spars gamely with glib rival Dominique de Villepin (Samuel Labarthe). This lampoon depicts the future president of France as a bold and unashamed virtuoso of political combat, whose inattention to his disintegrating domestic partnership emerges as his chief vulnerability. With leads brilliantly etching sharp characterizations of living politicians, director Xavier Durringer need never veer too far from reality, even while deploying fictional embellishments and a larger-than-life sense of humor that with Nicola Piovani's buoyant score giddily evoke a circus-like atmosphere.