Synopsis
For the Yenish, respect for one’s elders and religious fervour flirt indifferently with vandalism. Fred Dorkel is one of them: feared and respected by his community, he earns his living by stealing cars. One night, his life is turned upside down: an angel appears to him. For Fred, this is the sign of a second chance that he has to take. He decides to settle down, but this choice creates a clash with his family…
A word from Tënk
"My role as a filmmaker is to find people who don't think like others and who live among us. Is it still possible in the 21st century?" Following his obsession with contemporary mythologies, Jean-Charles Hue delivers his strongest films, always walking the line between fiction and reality. Here, these marginal people are the Yéniches, a semi-nomadic evangelical community with whom the director discovered a common ancestor. As a "Flaherty of the barbecue," he captures their daily lives, filled with strong friendships, violence, and a vibrant religiosity that seems to guide them in every circumstance. Hue reinvents a story of car theft to better orchestrate the transition towards redemption, much like in a Peckinpah film. This shift from violence to light is carried by the Dorkels themselves, who invite us into their world with a keen sense of embodiment. This film is a choreography of words and bodies within a world that we sometimes struggle to see clearly.
Pascal Catheland
Filmmaker
