Best movie of this year hands down!

Better Late Then Never

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

The main character Arthur seems to have a walk through the all movie and doesn't seems to have expressed much real feeling except maybe in the very very end in front of Lucy naked. Still it was pretty funny how every member of the future family tries to convince Arthur to be a dad. The theme of Paris under sand is very original and well made: I loved the camels and the market place. The music is quite good. Well, still it's probably the kind of movie to watch without expecting to have depth: why does Ako start to destroy the flat at the party? Why does a young woman say Ako look like HER dad? why do we see the same young woman going home as we should expect some clue of it?

Arthur is not yet sure that he wants to become a father, but his girlfriend, Lucie, is desperately wants a child. On New Years Eve 1999, Arthur is forced to experience his future and see what the consequences will be like if he does not have children now. He meets his son, Ako who reveals the situation and what he must do. Transported to the year 2070 we expect to find the typical mise-en-scène for a sci-fi film, however, to our great surprise it appears that human life has taken several steps backward and Paris is now completely 'ensablé' - covered sand. There is no time-capsule either; a simple loft-hatch is the portal to a very different Paris. Images of Hausmann style rooftops just sticking above ground level and the Eiffel Tower behind sand dunes is very thought provoking. The costumes are more medieval than 21st century. Thus this film not deals with the issues of relationships and the fate of individuals it gives a shocking reminder of the possible effects of man's mishandling of the environment. It also makes us think of the personal decisions we make and how that can affect the lives of others. In terms of cinematography this film is also impressive with the use of various camera angles and shots and the special effects necessary to create such surreal scenes.The beginning of the film is well contrived to trick the viewer for a few moments. Nevertheless, the plot remains quite uneventful after the first ten minutes and the ending is very predictable. The film tries to show too many scenes and characters and does not allow the main three characters to be developed fully. We struggle to see whether the film is mainly a thought-provoking sci-fi, comedy or romantic film. Apart from Arthur the degree to which he characters are not surprised by the events is absurd. Any romance between Arhur and Lucie is also marred by the interruptions of feeble sexual humour. The sound track in the film, however, is actually well constructed and employed to provide links between present and future times. The abrupt stops in music provide suspense for the viewer and the tracks are taken from both contemporary French and English language music. Overall you will be disappointed by this film if you were expecting more than a light drama but it is still reasonably entertaining and a very original piece of cinema.

This film is surprisingly good, if you let yourself be drawn in by it. Just sit back, relax and turn up the volume a bit, because the soundtrack is really brilliant: if you're a music lover, you'll love this strange tale with great musical timing....

The movie is very good, although I wouldn't say brilliant. Jean-Paul Belmondo is a great actor (and a rather familiar face), and his presence alone contributes a lot to the overall impression the movie creates. The soundtrack, however, is simply out of this world. What Loic Dury (DJ Loik) and, I think, Magister Dixit, have created is nothing but a piece of art - it is by far the most amazing soundtrack I've ever heard. Really. I think the movie is more than worth watching if only to listen to it. And, yeah, it's good for your French language skills :)