"Les Fantasmes": a choral comedy with a prestigious cast

Faced with their fantasies, six couples try to explore the hidden sides of their intimate life.

Six questions on access to pleasure.

From role play to abstinence, via exhibition, the film tells six separate stories with in the center the same questioning of desire today.

His but also that of the other ...

>>> Adapted from an Australian sketch film

After "La Délicatesse" and "Jalouse", David and Stéphane Foenkinos address here the theme of fantasies, and more generally of the intimate life of couples. "Eric and Nicolas Altmayer, our producers, approached us with an Australian sketch film on sexual fantasies," the directors tell us. “We were taken in by the concept and the subject. If we took the process back, we changed the structure of a lot of the skits, and wrote new ones. Immediately, we saw a lot of storytelling possibilities with a strong potential for comedy. And that allowed us to dare to cross some borders, even some taboos. "

David and Stéphane Foenkinos have always appreciated, as spectators, films which are divided into chapters around a theme, such as "Everything you wanted to know about sex ... without ever daring to ask" by Woody Allen or the series of "Monsters" by Dino Risi or Mario Monicelli.

"It seemed obvious to us, for the sake of realism, that the stories had to be distinct" they specify.

"It would have been very improbable that all our characters, with their so particular desires, coexist in the same universe. To confer on the various tables a true independence allowed us to push the cursor even further."

>>> "All the fantasies mentioned really exist!"

The universe of fantasies being vast, the directors had to select those who will be illustrated in the film. "We practically acted as a sociologist by obtaining information from practitioners, by scanning the internet. This resulted in an impressive list of nearly 250 fantasies" they specify. "Our main motivation was to remain as realistic as possible. As incongruous as the situations are, identification must always allow us to understand what our characters are going through with empathy. Whether it excites us, disturbs us or revolts us. One thing very important to remember here: all the fantasies mentioned in the film really exist! "

An exciting subject, but nevertheless perilous to deal with.

"On a short narrative distance, we can quite quickly fall into caricature. Again, we wanted to deal with the most extreme situations while remaining plausible. Think about all the variations around our relationship to fantasies, and see the reactions that they arouse was in itself exciting. That the spectator could ask the question: would I be able to do that? How would I have reacted in such or such posture? ".

>>> A cast of stars

The film is interpreted by an exceptional cast, including Carole Bouquet, Monica Bellucci and Karin Viard who was already showing in their previous film, "Jalouse". “We love actors,” the directors say. "This is undoubtedly one of our primary motivations when we approach a film. So here, we have fun by multiplying them. In addition to our" recurring ", like Karin Viard of course, but also Joséphine De Meaux that we found ourselves after "La Délicatesse" or Marie-Julie Baup and Corentin Fila after "Jalouse", it gave us the opportunity to work with people close to us, but also others with whom we had dreamed of touring for a long time. We had an unfinished project with Carole Bouquet and it was a great opportunity to find her.And in addition to those already mentioned, for example we very much wanted to offer a virtual counter-employment to Ramzy Bedia, or to exploit the comic potential of Céline Sallette and Monica Bellucci ".

The opportunity for directors to form couples of unexpected actors!

"What excites us, as always, is to create original duets, and here we are served: from Denis Podalydès / Suzanne Clément to Karin Viard / Jean-Paul Rouve, it is first and foremost our appetite as spectators who is satisfied, ”say David and Stéphane Foenkinos.

"To see immense actors meeting each other, most for the first time, and mainly in a bed ... our pleasure was immediately there! When you mention the couple Carole Bouquet / Monica Bellucci, it's already a fantasy in itself, whoever you are. The short form also gave them all more freedom of tone. "

"Les Fantasmes", a comedy not to be missed, is in theaters this Wednesday, in partnership with Europe 1.