Tournées Festival: André Téchiné: "The Witnesses"
4:00 PM, February 26, 2010
Friday Feb 26, 4:00 pm, "Film Today" Class
André Téchiné: The Witnesses (Les Témoins), 2007, 112 min., 35 mm
In the André Téchiné's bold The Witnesses, the body itself becomes a battleground. Or, as Adrien, a gay physician spearheading AIDS research, says to Sarah, a straight female friend, "You're in love and I'm at war." The Witnesses brilliantly combines the personal and the political. Beyond gay versus straight, the film is equally committed to exploring other opposites: rich vs. poor, male vs. female, Muslim vs. non-Muslim.
"A fast-moving, engrossing multiple-character drama that brings the AIDS crisis of the 1980s into laser focus, Andre Téchiné's "The Witnesses" is propelled forward by a sense of urgency. The powerful storytelling projects the strongly affirmative message that it's a miracle to be alive and bear witness to those who did not survive. This memorable film, one of Téchiné's best, is in no way limited to gay viewers and should find a footing with general audiences." -Deborah Young, Variety
The "Tournées Festival" is made possible with the support of
the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture (CNC).
CalArts 2010 Festival of French Cinema is a collaboration between CalArts School of Film/Video, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture (CNC).