Chrysalis (film)
Encyclopedia
Chrysalis is a French
science fiction film
directed and partly written by Julien Leclercq and starring Albert Dupontel
. The film was commercially released in France
on 31 October 2007.
, police lieutenant David Hoffman investigates the circumstances behind the body of a young girl named Manon, who was resurrected after a car crash and now has scars around her eyes. Hoffman finds a link between the murderer and smuggler Dimitri Nicolov, who is blamed by the lieutenant for the death of Hoffman's wife. Hoffman's investigation leads him to a state-of-the-art plastic surgery clinic whose goal is to go beyond skin and flesh to shape memory and identity.
directed by French filmmaker Julien Leclercq. The film continues a contemporary cyberpunk
trend in French cinema, following Enki Bilal
's Immortal (2004) and Christian Volckman
's Renaissance
(2006), preceding Franck Vestiel's Eden Log
(2007) and Marc Caro
's Dante 01
(2008). Chrysalis incorporates film noir
and is influenced by Franco-Belgian comics
. The film is considered a homage to Georges Franju
's Eyes Without a Face
(1960).
in September 2007. It was commercially distributed in France
in 31 October 2007. It was released on DVD on 9 June 2008.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
directed and partly written by Julien Leclercq and starring Albert Dupontel
Albert Dupontel
Albert Dupontel is a French actor and film director. He started his career as a stand-up comedian...
. The film was commercially released in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on 31 October 2007.
Premise
In 2025 in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, police lieutenant David Hoffman investigates the circumstances behind the body of a young girl named Manon, who was resurrected after a car crash and now has scars around her eyes. Hoffman finds a link between the murderer and smuggler Dimitri Nicolov, who is blamed by the lieutenant for the death of Hoffman's wife. Hoffman's investigation leads him to a state-of-the-art plastic surgery clinic whose goal is to go beyond skin and flesh to shape memory and identity.
Cast
- Albert DupontelAlbert DupontelAlbert Dupontel is a French actor and film director. He started his career as a stand-up comedian...
as David Hoffman, a police lieutenant - Estelle LefébureEstelle LefébureEstelle Lefébure is a French actress and model. She was one of the top fashion models in the 1980s and 1990s. During her marriage with singer David Hallyday, she was known professionally as Estelle Hallyday....
- Marie GuillardMarie GuillardMarie Guillard is a French actress. She was born in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine.She has been married twice: she is married to Samy Naceri and was previously married to Nicola Sirkis: they were married in July 1995 and divorced in November 1998.-Films:-External links:*...
- Marthe KellerMarthe KellerMarthe Keller is a Swiss actress and opera director. She studied ballet as a child, but stopped after a skiing accident at age 16...
as Professor Brügen, who runs a state-of-the-art plastic surgery clinic - Mélanie ThierryMélanie ThierryMélanie Thierry, is a French actress best known to international audiences for her role as Aurora in the 2008 film Babylon A.D.-Biography:...
as Manon, a captive patient at the clinic - Alain Figlarz as Dimitri Nicolov, a smuggler
Production
Chrysalis is the first feature filmFeature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
directed by French filmmaker Julien Leclercq. The film continues a contemporary cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
trend in French cinema, following Enki Bilal
Enki Bilal
Enes Bilal is a French comic book creator, comics artist and film director.-Biography:Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, to a Slovak mother and a Bosnian father who had been Josip Broz Tito's tailor, he moved to Paris at the age of 9. At age 14, he met René Goscinny and with his encouragement applied...
's Immortal (2004) and Christian Volckman
Christian Volckman
Christian Volckman , a graduate of Ecole Supérieure d'Arts Graphiques in Paris, is a French painter, graphic designer, photographer, author and producer....
's Renaissance
Renaissance (film)
Renaissance is a 2006 French black-and-white animated science fiction film by French director Christian Volckman. It was co-produced in France, United Kingdom and Luxembourg and released on 15 March 2006 in France and 28 July 2006 in the UK by Miramax Films...
(2006), preceding Franck Vestiel's Eden Log
Eden Log
Eden Log is a 2007 science fiction horror film directed and co-written by Franck Vestiel. The film was Vestiel's first as a director, who shot the entire film using only hand-held cameras....
(2007) and Marc Caro
Marc Caro
Marc Caro, born April 2, 1956, is a French filmmaker and cartoonist, best known for his co-directing projects with Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The two of them met at a film festival in 1974, and directed three short and two feature length films together....
's Dante 01
Dante 01
Dante 01 is a science fiction film by French director Marc Caro. It is the first solo directing effort by Caro, who is well-known for his directing collaborations with Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The film was released in 2008.-Plot:...
(2008). Chrysalis incorporates film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
and is influenced by Franco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
. The film is considered a homage to Georges Franju
Georges Franju
-External links:* at Allmovie...
's Eyes Without a Face
Eyes Without a Face
Eyes Without a Face is a 1960 French-language horror film adaptation of Jean Redon's novel, directed by Georges Franju, and starring Pierre Brasseur and Alida Valli. During the film's production, consideration was given to the standards of European censors by setting the right tone, minimizing...
(1960).
Release
Chrysalis premiered at the French film festival Lille La Nuit on 25 June 2007. The film later screened at the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
in September 2007. It was commercially distributed in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 31 October 2007. It was released on DVD on 9 June 2008.
External links
(in French)- Teaser trailer
- "Making of" video
- Film review at VarietyVariety (magazine)Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...