What to do when you find a million? The hero of Denys Arcand’s criminal film will have to choose: solve his problems with money or give the find to the police. You can watch the Oscar winner’s comedy from August 1 to 14 at the Avrora, Belarus, Pioner, Falcon Club Cinema Boutique and Silver Screen Velcom Cinema. The film will be screened on the day of the premiere, followed by a discussion within the Hall №4 project with film critic Igor Sukmanov.
With a Ph.D. in philosophy in hand, shy Pierre-Paul is forced to work as a deliveryman. One day, while delivering another parcel, he is the first to be at the scene of the crime and becomes the owner of a million in cash. The temptation to solve all everyday problems is high. While he is thinking over whether to return a huge amount of cash or appropriate it, he finds himself pursued by gangsters, and the police keep an eye on him. Escaping from both those ones and the others, intellectual Pierre-Paul meets a fatal beauty…
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Denys Arcand’s film also presented at the IFF in Warsaw, Stockholm, Munich, Edinburgh and others. The Belarusian premiere of The Fall of the American Empire (under the original title La chute de l’empire américain) took place in 2018. The picture became the closing night film for the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad.
“I wanted to understand how the possession of a large amount of money affects a person and the decisions they make. The influence of money in the modern world is enormous. It’s the only value that people have, neither religion nor patriotism play such an important role as before. Take the cinema, for instance: everyone is only interested in how much The Avengers has grossed during its opening weekend. Ultimately, it all comes down to the box office nowadays. It was important to convey the idea of this frightening unlimited power of money in this film,” the director Denys Arcandsays about the idea of the film [the quote is not precise].
Denys Arcand is one of Canadian outstanding directors and screenwriters today. Among his best works, Jesus of Montreal – Jury Prize and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes, 12 Genie National Film Awards. For his drama The Barbarian Invasions, the director was awarded an Oscar, three César Awards, Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival and Screen International Award of the European Film Academy.
Film critic Jackie Cooper writes about the film: “Liked everything about this movie from its crafty actors to its crazy plot.
Alexandre Landry and Maripier Morin are stars of tomorrow”. “A provocative, witty and captivating crime thriller for adults. It’s a great antidote to all of the loud, dumb and shallow blockbuster films,” sums up the NYC Movie Guru.”
The film screenings are taking place as part of the Listapad: Collection project.