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).
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]
| Chlotrudis Awards | 2001 | Nominee Chlotrudis Award for Best Adapted Screenplay | Beau travail (1999) Shared with Claire Denis |
| Hamburg Film Festival | 2008 | Nominee Screenplay Award | 35 shots of rum (2008) Shared with: Claire Denis |
| International Cinephile Society Awards | 2010 | Nominee ICS Award for Best Original Screenplay | 35 shots of rum (2008) Shared with: Claire Denis |