‘A Man of His Time’ Review: Swann Arlaud Plays a Fly on the Wall to Creeping Fascism
Swann Arlaud stars in 'A Man of His Time', a film that explores the complexities of a Vichy state official during World War II. The film attempts to provide insight into a historically significant period but ultimately falls short of delivering a compelling narrative. Despite its ambitious themes and character study potential, it is criticized for being a disappointing entry in this year's Cannes competition.
- ▪Swann Arlaud plays Henri Marre, a Vichy state official in the film 'A Man of His Time'.
- ▪The film is based on the director's great-grandfather and examines the role of Marre during the Nazi persecution of Jews.
- ▪Critics have noted that the film's 155-minute runtime does not translate into a grand historical epic but rather a historical patchwork.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Swann Arlaud has become one of the most acclaimed French actors of his generation, as well as one of the more unlikely heroes of Gen Z film meme culture. It was the social media footprint of “Anatomy of a Fall” in the 2023 awards season, where this reviewer became familiar with the term “fancam” — in that movie’s case, meaning a quick-fire supercut of lusty close-ups of Arlaud in his role as a cool-tempered lawyer. And watching the journey of “Magellan” from last year’s Cannes, we saw on our feeds a similar mix of unlikely subject in Gael Garcia Bernal’s colonialist and the resourceful work of the “clippers”.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at IndieWire.
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