Jean-Pol Fargeau

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Jean-Pol Fargeau is a French screenwriter and frequent collaborator of writer-director Claire Denis. They have made ten films together, most notably Chocolat (1988), Beau Travail (1999), and 35 Shots of Rum (2008).

Contents

Career

Jean-Pol Fargeau is a French screenwriter who has often collaborated with director Claire Denis. With Denis, he co-wrote Chocolat (1988), [1] Beau Travail (1999), and 35 Shots of Rum (2008), [2] Bastards (2013) [3] and Denis' first English-language film, High Life (2018). [4] As of 2019, the two had made ten films together. [5] In a 2013 interview, Fargeau said of their collaboration, “It’s very strange, this partnership and relationship — we are like brother and sister,” albeit unusually free of strife for siblings. [6] They work together based in Paris. [6]

Generally their work was highly praised, drawing award nominations and strong reviews, with some exceptions. Of Trouble Every Day (2002), Stephen Holden wrote in The New York Times , "The story, by [Claire] Denis and Jean-Pol Fargeau, is so sketchy it amounts to little more than preliminary notes for a science-fiction horror film, and the movie's fragmentary narrative style makes piecing the story together frustratingly difficult.” [7] Still Holden called the end result a “daring, intermittently beautiful failure of a movie.” [7]

Fargeau’s memories of his own family secrets set the tone for Bastards, although the particulars of the plot are not autobiographical. [6]

Fargeau has also collaborated with fashion designer Agnès B. to write the 2014 film My Name is Hmmm. [8]

Awards

Nominations

Chlotrudis Awards 2001Nominee Chlotrudis Award for Best Adapted ScreenplayBeau travail (1999)

Shared with Claire Denis

Hamburg Film Festival 2008Nominee Screenplay Award35 shots of rum (2008)

Shared with: Claire Denis

International Cinephile Society Awards2010Nominee ICS Award for Best Original Screenplay35 shots of rum (2008)

Shared with: Claire Denis

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References

  1. Anderson, Melissa (15 September 2015). "The Sensationalist: Claire Denis's 'Chocolat' Returns, Still Sensual and Illuminating". Village Voice. Archived from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  2. Kehr, Dave. "Review: 35 Shots of Rum | Claire Denis". Film Comment (September/October 2009). Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  3. Upton, David (May 5, 2014). "'Bastards' Makes Despair Bleed from the Walls". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  4. Balsom, Erika. "High Life review". Sight & Sound. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  5. Dallas, Paul (March 14, 2019). "Elementary Force: Claire Denis on High Life". Filmmaker Magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  6. 1 2 3 Hynes, Eric (18 October 2013). "Family Films of a Very Different Sort (Published 2013)". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  7. 1 2 Holden, Stephen (1 March 2002). "FILM REVIEW; Erotic Horror With Enough Gore to Distress Dracula (Published 2002)". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  8. Bradshaw, Peter (16 October 2014). "My Name Is Hmmm (Je m'appelle Hmmm) review – fundamentally misjudged". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.