The Screen Illusion

Part of an ongoing project sponsored by La Comédie-Française—in which filmmakers are given 12 days to adapt a classic French play using actors from the famed troupe—actor-director Mathieu Amalric’s wildly inventive response to Corneille’s popular 17th century tragicomedy transforms the original’s wizard Alcandre into a hotel concierge and seedy detective. His assignment is to find Clindor, a young man working for a manufacturer of violent video games, who seems to have left a trail of young female hearts aflutter. As might be expected, the investigation reveals far more than anyone ever imagined. Per his agreement with the producers, Amalric added not one line of new dialogue to the film, finding ingenious solutions for characters and locations that capture the spirit if not always the letter of Corneille. In person: Director Mathieu Amalric for both screenings.