Being Blanche Houellebecq

Dans la peau de Blanche Houellebecq

TIFF65: Greek Premiere
Renowned author Michel Houellebecq travels to Guadeloupe to take part in a look-alike contest. Everything seems to be running smoothly at the beginning, yet, various unforeseen events push Houellebecq past his limits, placing him in the middle of a bizarre intrigue. A loony satirical comedy filmed as a pseudo-documentary, through which one of the greatest authors (and cunning provocateurs) alive makes a self-deprecating attempt at irony, readily ridiculing his image as a misanthrope and harsh cynic with radical political views. Faced -among others- with his alleged racist ideas, the creator of Atomised and The Possibility of an Island wanders as if lost in a place where everything seems both possible and impossible at the same time. A lively, out of tune road movie about reality and appearances, and the private and public truth, that unveils another side of a writer infamous for his pessimism; a very fun and easy-going one. As is typical, appearances can be deceiving.
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Guillaume Nicloux
Script: Guillaume Nicloux
Cinematography: Christophe Offenstein
Editing: Guy Lecorne
Music: Christophe Chassol
Actors: Blanche Gardin, Michel Houellebecq, Luc Schwarz, Franck Monier, Françoise Lebrun, Gaspar Noé, Jean-Pascal Zadi
Production: Les Films du Kiosque
Producers: François Kraus, Denis Pineau-Valencienne
Co-production: Les Films du Worso
Costumes: Anaïs Romand
Format: DCP
Color: Color
Production Country: France
Production Year: 2024
Duration: 88'
Contact: Bac Films

Guillaume Nicloux

Guillaume Nicloux (born 3 August 1966) is a French novelist, director and actor. He is the founder of the theatre company La Troupe. He has written crime fiction and directed films for cinema and French television. He won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival for The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq, a comedic interpretation of a rumored abduction of the writer Michel Houellebecq, starring Houellebecq as himself. His 2015 film Valley of Love was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

Filmography

(selected)
1994 Happiness Is No Joke
2002 A Private Affair
2006 The Stone Council
2007 The Key
2013 The Nun
2014 Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq
2018 To the Ends of the World
2022 Lockdown Tower
2024 Being Blanche Houellebecq