Written and directed by Jérémie Rozan, this French comedy-drama involves a whole lot of aromatic thieving, if you will. Prior to all the elaborate scheming and heisting at a high-end perfume factory, we are given a brief glimpse into the small city of Chartres through the eyes of central character Daniel Sauveur (Raphaël Quenard). What the young man lacks in prospects, he more than makes up for in opinions…on privilege, class, wealth, ambition and evening the odds. And the audience gets to listen in on his philosophising. Sauveur grew up with precious little in a town run by the influential Breuil business family. The mere mention of their name pervades the region’s consciousness. Sauveur’s father built a home with an unrestricted view of the cathedral for the family before his passing. In a cruel practical joke of sorts, a billboard of Breuil & Sons is erected opposite their house, blocking the beautiful view. The symbolism is clear: Breuil’s dark shadow cannot be escaped. Daniel studied in the same school as Breuil’s son, Patrick, the heir to the company. Their circumstances cannot be more different. Scania was Sauveur’s best friend growing up, with the former protecting him from bullies. Cut to adulthood and the duo has remained close, even running a small delivery business together. Much to their annoyance, work cannot take place smoothly without the go-ahead of the big, bad company. Scania (Igor Gotesman) uses his connections to get them both a job on Breuil’s assembly line. A corrupt supervisor, notwithstanding, Sauveur hatches a plan to smuggle the expensive fragrance bottles past security and sell them on the online black market. Just when things start coming together, the senior Breuil dies, with his son reluctantly taking over the reins of the family business.
Director – Jérémie Rozan
Cast – Raphaël Quenard, Igor Gotesman, Agathe Rousselle, Antoine Gouy, Nina Meurisse, Grégoire Colin, Youssef Hajdi
Streaming On – Netflix
Though presented in a casual and borderline comedic tone, Gold Brick makes its politics felt. The advantages of privilege and the disparity between those who have and those who don’t are delved into thanks to Sauveur’s extended take on the subject. A brief scene early on tells you all you need to know about the social hierarchy. As a young boy, Daniel helps his uncle out at a chic restaurant frequented by the Breuils. In the hope of a reward, he returns a handbag to the senior Breuil’s mother (something she leaves behind often). The old lady thanks him with a handsome tip, only for it to be snatched away by her son, who, in turn, replaces the note with some small change. The family hasn’t gotten to the said station in life by being generous.
The slick thieving, collaborating with the most unlikely of partners, beating the security system at its own game, they are all entertaining to watch. It seems too seamless to be true, but take that at face value for a minute. The writers have managed to capture the sheer spirit in which characters carry out the smuggling, thereby sticking it to the overlords and tipping the scales in their favour. This essence that Sauveur likes to call flair, panache, is what sustains this fun film. Virginie (Agathe Rousselle), his partner-in-crime girlfriend, accuses him of being a thief when their operation is in jeopardy. But he wishes to see things from a different lens. A tad delusional, sure, but it makes for good viewing. Daniel Sauveur’s self-confidence, faux or otherwise (something that trickles down to every last member of his crew) is seen in all its glory while he’s partying up his newfound earnings at a nightclub. He spots a lone blonde woman at the bar, and in an effort to impress her, states that he runs a successful perfume start-up in town. The woman so happens to be the head of HR at Breuil & Sons, and he is perplexed to see her dressed in a pantsuit crossing him on the shop floor at work the following morning. These aforementioned sequences (and Daniel’s awkward attempts to ask her out) form some of the funnier parts in the narrative.
Improbable allies, a caricature villain looking to strike while the iron is hot, a wife with an axe to grind, and a convoluted bunch of connections all tied to the making, selling and smuggling of a French fragrance, the writing packs a lot into the film’s 95-minute runtime. A fair portion of it is indeed smart, with the acting backing it up 100 per cent of the way, while other instances seem heavily borrowed from erstwhile heist capers. The key character of Scania isn’t witnessed as much beyond the halfway mark, and that is disappointing. This takes away an important bond that Gold Brick works hard to establish initially. If you choose to ignore some of the logistics pertaining to the elaborate heist, the film possesses the power to be thoroughly entertaining.
#Entertaining #watchable #Cinema #express
