Paris

Raymond Depardon’s documentaries all, in one form or another, acknowledge his own position as observer and reflect on cinema’s capacity to find another angle on reality; but his most self-reflexive and metacinematic work may be this fascinating 1998 fiction film. Luc Delahaye stars as a filmmaker who, short on ideas for his new film, enlists a casting director (Sylvie Peyre) to help him find a leading lady on the streets of Paris. Featuring a wealth of real “on the street” interviews, Paris is a remarkable attempt at synthesizing fiction and documentary and a sly, moving symphony consisting of the sights and sounds of the city.