Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story) (French: Bang Gang (une histoire d'amour moderne)) is a French drama film directed by Eva Husson. It was shown in the Platform section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[2] It is Husson's directorial debut.
| Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story) | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Eva Husson |
| Written by | Eva Husson |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | Finnegan Oldfield |
| Cinematography | Mattias Troelstrup |
| Edited by | Emilie Orsini |
| Music by | White Sea |
| Distributed by | Ad Vitam Distribution |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $2.3 million |
| Box office | $220,000[1] |
Plot
editIn Biarritz, teenager Alex temporarily lives alone (and later with his best friend Nikita) while his mother is abroad for work. In his house, he organizes sex parties (called bang gangs) with other teenagers, also including recreational drug use. Videos of the parties are posted on a password-protected website. A girl named George and her best friend Laetitia are active participants of the parties. George does not like that Laetitia has sex with Alex, with whom George had sex first. Gabriel does not like to attend the parties at first, but finally goes to one to have sex with George, in a separate room. Sexually transmitted infections, a teenage pregnancy and unintended posting of the videos on YouTube make the parties known to parents and other authorities, after which they are discontinued. Gabriel and George are concerned about publicized sex videos of George. Gabriel finds the boy who posted them and forces him to remove them. The infections are easily treated. The pregnant girl has an abortion. George and Gabriel start a regular relationship.
Cast
edit- Finnegan Oldfield as Alex
- Marilyn Lima as George
- Daisy Broom as Laetitia
- Fred Hotier as Nikita
- Lorenzo Lefebvre as Gabriel
Production
editPrincipal photography began on 11 August 2014 in Biarritz. The film was shot between Biarritz, Anglet and Landes. It wrapped on 5 October.[3][4]
Reception
editCritical response
editOn Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 67% based on reviews from 36 critics, with an average rating of 6/10.[5] On Metacritic the film has a score of 53 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]
Peter Debruge of Variety wrote: "The lack of a single clear character with whom to identify ultimately proves problematic."[7] Boyd van Hoeij of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Originality or insight aren’t very high on the priority list of this drama."[8]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Les Arcs European Film Festival | Crystal Arrow | Eva Husson | Nominated |
| BFI London Film Festival | First Feature Competition | Nominated | ||
| Toronto International Film Festival | Platform Prize | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Bang Gang (une histoire d\'amour moderne) (2016)- JPBox-Office". Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "Toronto International Film Festival Announces Inaugural Platform Lineup". IndieWire. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ "Biarritz : une ville qui fait son cinéma". Sud Ouest (in French). 6 September 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (25 August 2014). "Eva Husson shooting Bang Gang". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)". Rotten Tomatoes. 1 April 2005. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (11 September 2015). "Toronto Film Review: 'Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)'". Variety.
- ^ "'Bang Gang: A Modern Love Story' ('Bang Gang: Une histoire d'amour moderne'): TIFF Review". The Hollywood Reporter.