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In French and English, with English subtitles. REVIEWS Few actors in the world are better suited to play a gluttonous pig than Gerard Depardieu, and I mean that in the best possible way one can make such an assertion. Richard Roeper - Chicago Sun-Times A bluntly powerful provocation that begins as a kind of tabloid melodrama and gradually evolves into a fraught study of addiction, narcissism and the lava flow of capitalist privilege. Scott Foundas - Variety This is not the kind of material for a stately biopic or a political drama. This is nasty, strange business - perfect for Ferrara, whose work often hovers between art and exploitation, between angst and sleaze. Bilge Ebiri - New York Magazine/Vulture This frank, unruly look at sex, privilege and power unfolds so much like real life that it proves an intriguing and strangely immersive experience. Gary Goldstein - Los Angeles Times |
The complete program of the 2nd Sac Mini Fall French Film Fest can be found here! A sex-addicted man, a fateful hotel room encounter, and a scandal that would rock the world: the mighty Gérard Depardieu gives a fearless performance in this ripped-from-the-headlines saga of sin and sleaze from boundary-pushing Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant, King of New York) directing here his first French co-production. Inspired by one of the most high-profile public implosions in recent memory, Welcome to New York follows a prominent international financier (Depardieu) as he spirals out of control during a drug and sex-fueled trip to America—culminating in a shocking incident involving a hotel maid and his subsequent arrest. Jacqueline Bisset co-stars as his wife in this provocative portrait of a man whose fall from grace sent shockwaves throughout the world. In the film, the protagonist’s name is “Devereaux,” but he is clearly inspired by the former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief and one-time French presidential hopeful Dominique Strauss-Kahn, aka DSK, who in 2011 was arrested in New York on charges of assaulting a hotel maid. Although the charges were subsequently dropped, Strauss-Kahn did agree to a settlement with the alleged victim for an undisclosed amount. Furthermore, DSK was later implicated in a number of other sex scandals, saw his reputation reduced to tatters. His wife, famed journalist Anne Sinclair, who had stood by his side during his house arrest in new York, ultimately divorced him. Saturday, November 14 - 9:25pm |
