Who said the French can’t make thrillers? In 2021, a few years after the very good Burn Out and An Ideal Man, Ian Gozlan offered the audience his latest performance. This aviation enthusiast wanted to be interested in the famous black boxes, recorders that allow you to listen to the last hours of the flight during the crash.
He then introduces the character of Mathieu Wasser, a technician at the BEA (the agency responsible for civil aviation safety investigations) who is promoted to lead investigator of an unprecedented air disaster.
What happened on the Dubai-Paris flight before it crashed into the Alps? pilot error? A technical failure? Terrorist Act? A careful analysis of the black boxes prompts Matthew to secretly conduct his own investigation. He still doesn’t know how far his search for the truth will take him.
Physical metamorphosis
Gozlan offered the role to the highly sought-after Pierre Nini, with whom he had already worked in the past. An opportunity for the actor to once again test his physical and psychological limits. Although he went through intense training and gained 9kg of muscle for Save or Perish a few years back, the actor has scaled back this time, as he told us in an interview:
“I lost weight. I wanted my body to convey the fragility of the character. I also chose shoes that weren’t very comfortable to wear. Being bare-chested is a very good start for this character. It’s what served me best. Don’t add muscle, weight, backbone for frailty. You have a little hunched over, your head a little forward, like people who use a computer a lot. Those are all little ingredients that I’ve worked on.”
Between the zodiac and the social network
To write the Boite Noire, the director could rely on the BEA (Aviation Investigation Office) and the French expert Sebastien Bart. The film features an obsessive investigator who spends his days, wearing headphones, deciphering the slightest sounds in a black box. A technical approach that is clearly reminiscent of Chant du loup, released two years ago with François Civil, played here in a submarine.
But the main inspiration of Boîte Noire is the American thriller released in 2007, directed by the master of the genre, David Fincher: “We talked Zodiac With Ian Gozlan. I mentioned Social network for the technical side, Office of Legends also. I know that Zodiac is an important film for the director. Nini explained.
The Black Box is available on Netflix.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
