Ce jour-là (2003)

Director:

Raoul Ruiz

Writer:

Raoul Ruiz (written by)

Release Date:

4 June 2003 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot Keywords:

Comb | Diabetic | Absurdism | Cult Director | Rigor Mortis

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bernard Giraudeau	...	Pointpoirot
Elsa Zylberstein	...	Livia
Jean-Luc Bideau	...	Raufer
Jean-François Balmer	...	Treffle
Christian Vadim	...	Ritter
Laurent Malet	...	Roland
Rufus	...	Hubus
Féodor Atkine	...	Warff
Jacques Denis	...	Patron café
Edith Scob	...	Leone
Hélène Surgère	...	Bernadette
Laurence Février	...	Edmonde
Jean-Michel Portal	...	Vogel
Jean-Baptiste Puech	...	Luc
Matthias Urban	...	Dorival

Also Known As:

That Day (International: English title)

Runtime:

France:105 min

Country:

France | Switzerland

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Gémini Films

A few good murder gags

In this comedy of homicidal manners, people keep trying to kill both the sprite-like madwoman Livia (Elsa Zylberstein, gorgeously weightless) and her would-be assassin, the tottering madman Pointpoirot (Bernard Giraudeau, appropriately blank), and naturally there's a huge inheritance and a government conspiracy involved. Ruiz's staging is flawless, and the killing scenes in particular are exemplary - he knows when it's funnier to follow the characters, and when it's funnier to sit the camera dead still. I don't know if it all means any more than "Battle Royale" - Zylberstein said that Ruiz came to the conclusion in mid-shoot that it was a metaphor for Pinochet's violence, which may or may not be consistent with what we see on screen. Still, at least it takes the trouble to set up jokes properly, and it's not till the last third that they start seeming repetitive. I'm more or less neutral on this one.