Allons enfants

Cléo & Paul
‘What color is your door?’ · ‘It’s blue.’ · ‘What should I do? Look for a blue door?’ · ‘Yes. I mean… go on. Is it that one? Look, here?’ · ‘No.’

Three-and-a-half-year-old Cléo is brilliant at hide-and-seek: her brother Paul and their nanny have no chance of finding her. At some point Cléo herself no longer knows which route she took through the park. Suddenly there are strangers everywhere. They’re hunting Pokémons and none of them really notice her. So Cléo decides to stick with the woman who looks just as lost as she is, and together they explore their worlds anew. Paul, too, gains new perspectives when he finds himself alone among the other children: he discovers what Paris is like when one is out and about without adults. In vivid proximity, looking through the eyes of the children, Stéphane Demoustier creates a cinematic experience that casts a magical light on reality.
by Stéphane Demoustier
with Cléo Demoustier, Paul Demoustier, Vimala Pons, Anders Danielsen Lie, Elsa Wolliaston, Sam Louwyck, Oussama Kheddam
France 2018 French, English 60’ Colour World premiere recommendation: 7 years and up

With

  • Cléo Demoustier (Cléo)
  • Paul Demoustier (Paul)
  • Vimala Pons (Louise)
  • Anders Danielsen Lie (David)
  • Elsa Wolliaston (Elsa)
  • Sam Louwyck (Man with the stick)
  • Oussama Kheddam (Taxi driver)

Crew

Written and Directed by Stéphane Demoustier
Cinematography Sylvain Verdet
Editing Nicolas Desmaison
Music Vimala Pons, Tsirihaka Harrivel
Sound Francis Bernard
Sound Mixing Vincent Verdoux
Assistant Director Lucile Jacques
Production Management Guillaume Dreyfus
Producers Guillaume Dreyfus, Stéphane Demoustier

Stéphane Demoustier

Born in Lille, France in 1977. After several short films, he made his feature debut with Terre battue which screened at the 2014 Venice International Film Festival. In 2008 he founded Année Zéro, the production company with which he made Allons Enfants.

Filmography

2009 Dans la jungle des villes (In the Urban Jungle); short film 2010 Des nœuds dans la tête (Week-end); short film 2011 Bad Gones; short film 2012 Fille du calvaire; short film 2013 Les petits joueurs (Young Guns); short film 2014 Terre battue (40-Love) 2017 Allons enfants (Cléo & Paul)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2018