DCA Archive

All Hands On Deck
(À l'abordage)

#DiscoveryFilmFest

On a hot summer night in Paris, Félix meets a young woman, Alma. They laugh, dance and spend the night together in a park. Félix is smitten but their romance is cut short as the next morning Alma hops on a train to join her family in southern France. Félix, determined to follow the woman he believes to be his new soulmate, embarks on a carpool ride with his best friend Chérif and their reluctant driver Edouard. When the car breaks down upon arrival, things turn sour: Alma doesn’t seem too pleased by this unexpected visit. But will this deter our modern day Romeo, driven onwards in the heat of the summer sun? Of course not – it’s just the start of his romantic quest, but one in which nothing will go entirely as he hopes...

The filmmaker’s interest in contrasts is clear: Paris and provincial France, the workplace and the summer vacation, a home life and the holiday campsite – and all populated by a cast of young people in their infinite varieties. When we meet Félix, Chérif and Edouard they have no idea what the impact the next few days will have on each of their lives, but the minutiae of a budget holiday adventure will ultimately leave a deep mark on each of them. Released from their expected behaviours by the freedom of the summer, we can enjoy the drama, both comic and tragic, of their newly redefined places and roles in society. Working with a very talented cast of young theatre-trained actors and non-actors from the shooting location, this is a bright and breezy comedy that also manages to place a spotlight on the depth and multiplicity of the (youthful) human experience. Toujours l’amour? Really?