Difficult to see clearly in the jungle of the programming of Avignon. Here are some shows that, because of their production, cast, or staging, are worth the trip. In the “in”, the Russian Kirill Serebrennikov presents a rather trashy adaptation of a short story by Anton Chekhov, The Black Monk. Dance fans should check out Anima, by Irish choreographer Oona Doherty. And for a little laugh, bet on the crazy duo Anaïs Muller and Bertrand Poncet, who have fun around Marguerite Duras in Where I thought I was there was nobody. In the “off”, one can turn without fear to the shows presented by the current Atelier theater, or those of 11.Avignon and La Manufacture. Our hearts particularly lean towards: The Return of Richard III by the 9:24 a.m. train (which promises to be hilarious), the Belgians of Why Did Jessica Leave Brandon? (where we will laugh yellow), the hip-hop dancers of Miracles and the staging of Jean-Philippe Daguerre (several Molières to his credit) of The Room of Wonders. Between two plays, come and see the photo exhibition of Christophe Raynaud de Lage, a very good set photographer, at the Maison Jean Vilar. Have a good festival!
Reservations and dates: The Black Monk (July 7-15. Cour d’honneur du palais des papes). Anima (July 9-17. Cloister of the cemetery, Villeneuve-lez-Avignon). Where I thought I was there was no one (from July 22 to 25. Saint-Joseph high school gymnasium). The Return of Richard III by train from 9:24 a.m. (until July 30. Roi-René at 12:10 p.m.). Why did Jessica leave Brandon? (until July 26, La Manufacture, 5:35 p.m.) Miracles (until July 19, Ice Rink, 1:55 p.m.) and La Chambre des Merveilles (until July 30, Atelier Actuel, 7:40 p.m. ).
In Busan, in a city drowned in neon lights and mist, Hae Jun is a bored, insomniac married cop until the day he investigates a man found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Accident, murder or suicide? His flair leads him to the victim’s wife, Sore (Tang Wei), a mysterious Chinese immigrant whom he suspects. The interrogation turns into a game of seduction. Both attract like magnets, not like lovers. What to do with this not at all grieving, elusive and distant widow? Make her confess or protect her? With Decision to Leave, which earned him the prize for directing at the last Cannes Film Festival, the Korean Park Chan-wook signs a kind of romantic thriller that has the air of an autopsy of the couple. The plot is sometimes complex but we abandon ourselves to it as in a Hitchcockian vertigo as the exercise is original and of a refined eroticism.
Decision to Leave, in theaters June 29.
It’s been a long time since a series has transported us so much… Until sending us to the stars. Produced by Ridley Scott, who directed the first episodes before passing the baton, in particular, to his son Luke, this science fiction series, created by Aaron Guzikowski, features two androids: Father and Mother. In season one, this asexual robot couple, programmed to raise children, landed on an exoplanet. On board their spaceship, six embryos destined to populate this new world. They are the survivors of an Earth made uninhabitable by a war between believers and atheists. Father and Mother aim to reinvent humanity away from the poison of religious dogma. But worshipers of Sol, the deity at the heart of the series, travelers on the run, come to disturb the little family of Father and Mother. However, Mother is a former killer android, whose instincts resurface when her children are threatened… The absolutely stunning second season of Raised by Wolves enriches its sci-fi vein with references to horror cinema, even zombie culture. And works with finesse a deep philosophical dimension, against a backdrop of breathtakingly beautiful landscapes.
On MyCanal
Fill up on historical novels
Laurent Gaudé is the great guest of the Salon du roman historique, the eleventh edition of which is being held this weekend in Levallois. The Prix Goncourt 2004 has always looked at history, from the First World War (theme of his first novel, Cris, published by Actes Sud in 2001) to ancient Africa (The Death of King Tsongor). Among the guests of the major interviews are Pierre Assouline, Jean-François Kahn, Hélène Carrère d’Encausse and Bartabas, whose books are nourished by this discipline. History is also transmitted by other means: the Salon thus stops at the way podcasts and videos on YouTube tell it. Biography workshop, presentation of the Readers of Levallois prize… The Salon, of which Le Point is a partner, is innovating this year with a dictation. The text is concocted by the writer Olivier Liron, on the theme of the construction of the Eiffel Tower… (Saturday July 2 at 11 a.m. Registration on 01 47 15 76 43). The event will end in beauty and music by offering, with the Maurice-Ravel de Levallois Conservatory, a musical reading of Gatsby the Magnificent.
July 2 and 3 in Levallois, in the Planchette park.
