After his Cesar, Raphael Cuenard in a drama at the intersection of Junkyard Dog and The Goonies

What is it about?

Max, Vivian and Tom, 13, are inseparable. This early summer is full of upheavals: the last factory in their small town of Ardennes closes, and Seb, Max’s big brother, is released from prison. His schemes gradually lead the three teenagers into a downfall that seems inevitable…

Goons in eastern France

This May 15, Michael Dichter presented his first film as a director in the cinema. After starring in Cédric Kahn’s Vie Sauvage and Noëm Saglio’s Like Mother, Like Daughter, the man who has already directed and directed three short films himself signs Les Trois Fantastiques. Inspired by his short film Pollux, this drama tells the story of Max, Vivian and Tom, teenagers who are bound by a friendship they believe is stronger than anything, but fate overtakes them.

At the crossroads of teenage films and social chronicles, fantastic three It derives its narrative power from such thematic roots as brotherhood—in the broadest sense—of hope, nostalgia, or even the fear of abandonment:An absent father who abandons his children, a mother who abandons her role as a mother, an older brother who abandons his little brother, a friend who abandons his friends in a city where the population has given up the fight and where the factory that produces everyone. leaves the area alive“- explains the director. As many subjects as Michael Dichter manages to closely connect the landscape of his plot, the deindustrialized French East, reminiscent of the environment their children after themNicolas Mathieu’s novel was awarded the Goncourt Prize in 2018.

Starting in the style of a buddy movie illuminated by the joie de vivre and friendship of the trio, Fantastic Three gradually turns into drama and makes us better understand the flaws of the main characters and their physical and psychological. At the same time as darkening the image.

“I wanted to capture a group of friends, but also talk about the conflict of loyalty between two brothers. I wanted him to be the heart of the film: a 13-year-old boy torn between his blood family and his chosen one. When you have an older brother who gets out of prison and asks you to do one last thing for him, you know it’s not going to end well, even if it’s a character you want to save, the filmmaker emphasizes. The film is initially very sunny and gradually darkens like a face Raphael Cuenard.“

Fantastic actor

Now important on the big screen, after roles in Cut!, Smoke Cough, November, I’ll Always See Your Faces, Yannick or even a dog from the dump, which earned him the 2024 César for Best Male Candidate, Raphael Cuenard has been spotted. By Michael Dichter before achieving this fame: ”I discovered Raphael in the short film Les Mauvais Garçons and in the TV series Family Business. I immediately discovered a special humanity in him. I felt a form of evidence. I immediately told him that he was the role, I didn’t need to choose him.”

Playing Max’s famous big brother back from prison, the 32-year-old actor stars as Emmanuelle Bercott as the mother who turned down her role. The choice is also obvious for the director: “I knew Emmanuel would be perfect for this role. I think he’s an incredible actor. It’s crazy all the emotions he goes through and all the things he manages to experience and experience.“

Starting with its sincerity and the talent of its main actors, Diego Murgia, Jean Davy and Benjamin Tellier, who play the trio of children, Fantastic Three breathes new life into a social drama with a desire for codes. A teenage movie. The first film that predicts a great career for the director and which it would be a shame to miss.

Fantastic Three, now and exclusively in theaters.