Suddenly aloneThomas Bidegain’s proof
After achieving in 2015 The CowboysThomas Bidegain returns behind the camera in 2023 Suddenly alone. This, since then, has been Jacques Audiard’s official screenwriter A prophet – with the exception of The Olympic Games in 2021 -, he is a perfect cinema narrator.
So, when the time came to adapt the novel by navigator Isabelle Autissier Suddenly alonewith Gilles Lellouche and Mélanie Thierry for casting onlyhe knows how to stage a fantastic survival and a very moving love story, with stunning visual beauty (our review here).
Ben (Gilles Lellouche) and Laura (Mélanie Thierry), together for five years, after deciding to travel around the world by sea, make a detour to a wild island, not far from the Antarctic coast before reaching South America. They explore this island and see a storm approaching. As they prepare to return to their boat, it, along with the violent waves, disappears. They find themselves stranded on the island and will have to survive, they and their couple, when winter arrives…
Rave reviews… and a failure at the cinema
Suddenly alone was warmly received by critics. While maintaining a simple idea, that of survival in a hostile environment, it stands out in this way The voice of the North That Suddenly alone it’s a “A tense and breathtaking survival where the two protagonists, masterfully played, deal with their own relationship“.
Same story for Télé Loisirs, which judges the film.exciting, shot in settings as sublime as they are hostile and which allows us to experience up close the characters’ struggle for their own survival and that of their couple.“
Great sentimental drama or breathtaking adventure film, Thomas Bidegain does not choose but mixes these two dimensions with great accuracy, so that the fury of the elements corresponds to the psychological vertigo of the characters. But unfortunately French public opinion does not support the proposal Suddenly alonesince at the end of its exploitation only in theaters 250,000 spectators he will have made the trip…
A film that should have been American
While Thomas Bidegain may legitimately be disappointed by his film’s poor performance at the box office, all the more notable considering that two highly regarded actors deliver two great performances, being able to make this film was already a miraculous feat.
In fact, originally, Suddenly alone it was supposed to be a French-American production, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Vanessa Kirby as Ben and Laura. But as we later learned, the collaboration between Jake Gyllenhaal and Thomas Bidegain came to an end. The American star, despite arriving on the set in Iceland in 2022 with the best intentions, adopts crazy behaviors and becomes unmanageable. Jake Gyllenhaal actually wants to rewrite the film, he wants to pay homage to nature and insists on shooting with his ideas, which are nothing short of amazing… The film’s co-writer Valentine Monteil told Technikart:
Jake talks a lot about TRUTH, insisting that his character is a former soldier, used to surviving… For example, for a scene on the boat, he sells us the idea of slapping a fish.
In four days everything goes to hell and Jake Gyllenhaal and Vanessa Kirby leave the set after yet another argument. With them, the allocated budget of $26 million disappears… Luckily, producer Alain Attal refuses to let Thomas Bidegain abandon his film or transfer it to Vanessa Kirby, who is interested in buying the rights, and relaunches the production, this time with a French cast. And despite this profound change and a lower budget than initially expected, the result is admirable.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
