Prosper: How was Jean-Pascal Zade’s fantasy comedy constructed?

An ambitious but successful mix of genres…

Just a few hours before the closing ceremony of the 28th edition of the Alpe d’Huez Comedy Film Festival, festival-goers had the opportunity to discover the first feature film by filmmaker Johan Gloagüen (screenwriter) almost two months before its release. blood orange).

Prosper, an Uber driver next to his pumps, takes a dying man who has just been shot as a passenger. Panicking, Prosper disposes of the body while stealing her crocodile boot. But while carrying them, Prosper finds himself inhabited by the spirit of a murdered man: The King – a respected gangster, but also one of SAPE’s greatest kings. Torn between these two diametrically opposed personalities, Prosper and the King, united in one body, investigate to unmask the latter’s killer.

real aliens competition flourish Skillfully oscillates between genres: comedy thanks to the natural talent of the performers, at the top of the list is Jean-Pascal Zad (double César laureate for the first feature film Tout just noir); A detective film with its clear and defined plot, co-scripted by Dominique Baumar (Les Méchants, Les Règles de l’Art), which transports the audience to the Parisian night world; And finally the fantasy fueled by these mysterious MacGuffin boots that allow the dead and the living to co-exist in scenes that are as funny as they are touching.

… with probable social and historical roots

However, despite the ease with which it unfolds on the screen, the Prosper project caused difficulties for director Johan Gloagen. “There was something very original about this script, but I especially liked the fact that it talks about self-confidence, a topic that resonates with me and that I would not have thought to touch the world of SAPE.he says. I was neither a border guard nor a Congolese, I did not feel justified in such a matter.“

Therefore, immersion work was necessary for the neophyte, who learned everything from the great masters of SAPE, the society of ambience and elegant people, especially the famous fashion trend that started in the Congo in the 1920s. “I traveled to the Chateau Rouge and Chateau d’Eau districts of Paris, where I met chefs including The Bachelor, Monsieur Robby and Arlene Peleka, who star in the film. I learned a lot with them. is a movement of sartorial elegance, unique in its own right, combining fashion, culture and social resistance. This movement was not simply a matter of fashion, but also a way to claim some social dignity and challenge colonial rule.“

This social, political aspect of SAPE remains far from hidden throughout the film, as it allows Prosper’s character to gradually challenge the situation in which he is trapped.

An acclaimed work of comedy, Prosper borrows from detective films as fiction to create a perfectly balanced feature film with undeniable social and political significance. A small piece of elegance and humor, which will be discovered in cinemas from March 19.