Remy (2008)

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A young woman has just about had enough of her six year old son and his grandfather in this short and lovely film from France.

The elder Remy (Roger Trapp) and his namesake (Ugo Le Cornec) get into mischief aplenty before being interrupted by young Remy's mother (Gaelle Billaut-Danno). The older man likes to play hide and seek, tell stories, and when they sit down to dinner one night, get into a mashed potato fight. This is the final straw, and the family heads to a psychiatrist (Anna Langner) to see what can be done for Remy- either one of them.

This is another short film from Romain Basset, who directs with Christophe Berthemin, and it's simplicity and seven minute running time play very well. The camera is always moving, capturing a six year old boy's manic activity, and for such a short film, the entire cast turns in well-rounded performances, especially Danno. The color scheme here is full of soft yellows and is beautiful, as is the music and subject matter, compared to Basset's other films, which are both surreal and nightmarish. The screenwriter this time around is Laurent Mizrahi, who almost tips his hand during the film until a very touching end.

"Remy" is on a Blu-ray release of Basset's "Horsehead," and I highly recommend it.

Stats:
(2008) 7 min. (* * * *) out of five stars
-Directed by Romain Basset, Christophe Berthemin
-Written by Laurent Mizrahi
-Cast: Roger Trapp, Ugo Le Cornec, Gaelle Billaut-Danno, Anna Langner
(Unrated)