Non-Fiction
Olivier Assayas's very funny Non-Fiction has a sparkling cast and sees the French auteur once again contemplating our relationship with technology
Following the ghostly text messages that Kristen Stewart received in Personal Shopper, Olivier Assayas's Non-Fiction is another contemplation of our relationship with the technology that defines our everyday interactions, but played in a much breezier register. Non-Fiction is a wry comedy that attempts to capture and comment upon the shifting sands of our digital lives, with Parisian publisher Alain (Canet) struggling to negotiate the tricky transition from print to digital while his wife Selena (Binoche) has an affair with shambolic novelist Léonard (Macaigne), who tends to turn such experiences into semi-autobiographical prose.
This premise has all the makings of a classic farce, but the characters keep stalling to debate issues surrounding the nature of art, commerce and communication in the 21st century, which can feel a little repetitive and dry. Nevertheless, the film is often very funny and it's a pleasure to watch this cast (notably the scene-stealing Nora Hamzawi as Léonard's perceptive wife). And as these characters argue over the pros and cons of the digital future, Yorick Le Saux's lovely 16mm cinematography ensures Non-Fiction keeps one foot firmly planted in the analogue world.
Released 18 Oct by Curzon; certificate 15