See You Up There () is a 2017 French historical war drama film written and directed by and starring Albert Dupontel, adapted from the 2013 novel The Great Swindle (Au revoir là-haut in French) by Pierre Lemaitre.
Plot In November 1918, a few days before the Armistice, Edouard Péricourt saves Albert Maillard's life. The two men have nothing in common but the war. Lieutenant Pradelle, by ordering a senseless assault, destroys their lives while binding them as companions in misfortune. On the ruins of the carnage of WWI, condemned to live, the two attempt to survive. Thus, as Pradelle is about to make a fortune with the war victims' corpses, Albert and Edouard mount a monumental scam with the bereaved families' commemoration and with a nation's hero worship.
Cast
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart as Édouard Péricourt Albert Dupontel as Albert Maillard Laurent Lafitte as Captain Henri d'Aulnay-Pradelle Niels Arestrup as President Marcel Péricourt Émilie Dequenne as Madeleine Péricourt Mélanie Thierry as Pauline as Labourdin, mayor of the 8th arrondissement of Paris Héloïse Balster as Louise André Marcon as the gendarme officer Kyan Khojandi as Dupré Michel Vuillermoz as Joseph Merlin Carole Franck as Sister Hortense as the mayor at the cemetery Jacques Mateu as the prefect Philippe Duquesne as the station officer Denis Podalydès as the minister (voice) Matthieu Sausset as sergeant at Côte 113 Frédéric Épaud as catalogue deliveryman (as Fred Épaud) Axelle Simon as Madame Belmont Augustin Jacob as the Paris surgeon as officer at Côte 113 Éloïse Genet as Cécile as Chinese 1 (as Yin Bing) as Chinese 2 (as Xiaoxing Cheng) Gustave Kervern (credited for deleted scenes) (credited for deleted scenes)
Production Movie production started in March 2016 in the region of the Vexin plateau over the Seine river valley.
Reception On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93%, based on 15 reviews with an average rating of 7.5/10.
Jordan Mintzer from The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "the film features a handful of jaw-dropping moments — such as an excruciating battle across no man's land — held together by a strong cast, including BPM (Beats Per Minute) star Nahuel Perez Biscayart as a disfigured artist hidden behind an array of exquisitely ornamental masks. But condensing nearly 600 pages of story into a two-hour movie proves increasingly difficult as too many plot points take away from all the visual splendor, while the characters hardly have time to be drawn out." Peter Debruge writing for the Variety magazine said: "...simultaneously grand and eccentric, and though it sometimes struggles to sustain its identity amid such a strange mix of tones, the film holds together via DP Vincent Mathias’ dramatic widescreen lensing and a splendid, understated score from Christophe Julien." Jordi Costa from the Spanish newspaper El País stated: "Albert Dupontel knows that a black comedy doesn't only have to be cynical and his film finds its soul in the masks that communicate the emotions of one of his characters."
Accolades See You Up There earned 13 nominations at the 43rd César Awards, winning 5 awards. The film also won other awards.
Award Subject Nominee ResultCésar AwardsBest AdaptationAlbert DupontelPierre Lemaitre Best CinematographyVincent Mathias Best Production DesignPierre Queffelean Best Costume DesignMimi Lempicka Best DirectorAlbert Dupontel Best ActorAlbert DupontelNominatedBest Supporting ActressMélanie ThierryNominatedBest Supporting ActorNiels ArestrupNominatedBest Supporting ActorLaurent LafitteNominatedBest Original MusicChristophe JulienNominatedBest SoundJean MinondoGurwal Coïc-GallasCyril HoltzDamien LazzeriniNominatedBest EditingChristophe PinelNominatedBest FilmCatherine BozorganAlbert DupontelNominatedGlobes de Cristal AwardsBest FilmAlbert DupontelNominatedBest ActorAlbert DupontelNominatedLumière AwardsBest CinematographyVincent MathiasNominatedBest FilmAlbert DupontelNominatedBest ScreenplayAlbert DupontelPierre LemaitreNominatedSeattle International Film FestivalBest Director (Golden Space Needle Award)Albert DupontelFifth Place
References
External links