User reviews

Fabrice Eboué and Thomas Ngijol find themselves propelled back in time to the French West Indies during the period of slavery. This not only serves to recall certain elements of slavery, but will also enable our duo to evolve in their apprehension of the world when they return to our contemporary times.

The film excels in its portrayal of white landlords, with Étienne Chicot, Franck de la Personne, Catherine Hosmalin and Joséphine de Meaux all pathetic, fat, grotesque and horrible. The fable works for our two characters, Fabrice Éboué and Thomas Ngijol, one a parvenu but treated with condescension, the other a righteous catch who seeks himself in a religion without believing in it. They are confronted with slavery, where they are treated like animals.

The subject didn't lend itself to a caustic, rough-and-tumble film, as comedian Fabrice Eboué knows how to do, but this film has the merit of existing, as French cinema is not very prolix on this subject and on this period of French history. There's also an astonishing scene in which our two friends help a couple unite so that they can exist in the future.

"Case Départ," with its unconventional take on time travel and slavery, combines elements of comedy, drama, and historical reflection. It tells the story of two half-brothers, starkly different in their attitudes towards race and society, who are catapulted back to the 18th century to experience the harsh reality of slavery. This narrative approach is audacious, attempting to balance dark humor with the brutal truth of historical injustices.

The film's strength lies in its lead actors, whose performances are lauded for their dynamic chemistry and comic timing. The interplay between the characters, coupled with their individual transformations throughout the film, forms the crux of the story. However, the execution of this ambitious concept is not without its flaws. The film's comedic angle on such a sensitive subject can be jarring, and some scenes border on the clichéd and exaggerated. This aspect might not sit well with all viewers, especially those seeking a more respectful and nuanced exploration of slavery.

Despite these shortcomings, "Case Départ" manages to convey a meaningful message about understanding and acknowledging one's history and heritage. The journey of the protagonists, from their initial disregard for their ancestry to a profound appreciation of their roots, is a significant aspect of the film. The use of humor, while contentious, serves as a vehicle for this message, making the film accessible to a broader audience.

Overall, "Case Départ" scores a 6/10 for its daring concept and the commendable efforts of its cast, but it falls short in its delicate balancing act between comedy and historical gravity. For enthusiasts and critics alike, the YouTube channel @SerialsUniverse might offer an engaging platform to discuss the complexities and implications of films like "Case Départ," expanding on how comedy can intersect with and impact the portrayal of historical events.

On the one hand meet Regis, town counselor, house, big car, wife and kid. On the other meet Joël, an inner city tosser, who hides his own uselessness behind an easy excuse: it is the whites who are to be blamed for his problems. Two men who, at first sight, are light years away from each other except they are both colored, except that they both have the same father, a West Indian aptly named Grosdésir (Biglust), a stud who has scattered his small seeds toward every wind. Two half-brothers who have opted for two dramatically opposed attitudes to French society, either integration at any price (including the price of rejection and intolerance of one's own colored brothers) or total rejection (to the benefit (?) of claptrap, laziness and petty crime). The good idea of "Case Départ" is to have these two extremes confronted through the main characters who are forced by circumstances to mix with each other (a pattern once successfully followed by Stanley Kramer in his 'Defiant Ones', in a much more dramatic style of course). Their permanent conflict, which generates laughs throughout, also helps to examine the more profound aspects of the issues at stake (slavery, emigration, roots, integration...). Thanks to this well-mastered device, a fine mix of humor and reflection is guaranteed. Another pleasant find is to have our two "heroes" propelled into the past by an East Indian witch aunt who, outraged by their mutual disrespect of their ancestors, undertakes to make them not only understand but feel in their flesh what their forebears went through because of slavery. What better way indeed not to forget one's past is there than to have to toil from dawn to dusk,to be the object of contempt, to be treated like cattle, punished by lashes or threatened by the noose. After a brilliant introduction set in France, in which the two protagonists are presented with biting humor, ruthlessly satirizing all the negative attitudes from certain immigrants (only two sons of the immigration could afford that, a white would have been accused of racism), the bulk of "Case départ" follows Régis and Joël in their hilarious tribulations in the Antilles 200 years before 2010, as they are sold as slaves (still owning a cell phone, but without network coverage!), discover the hard way what their condition actually means. It goes without saying that the two fellows will travel back to 2010 but there is some suspense as to HOW they will do it. Tomas N'Gijol, as Joël the layabout, and Fabrice Eboué, as Régis the cowardly collaborationist, two comedians revealed by the Djamel Comedy Club TV show, are priceless clowns who complement each other extremely well. There is a good supporting cast around them : examples include Etienne Chicot in the interestingly nuanced role of Monsieur Jourdain, the plantation owner, and Franck de la Personne in the shoes of a ridiculous priest. If Lionel Steketee's direction is nothing more than serviceable, much pleasure can nevertheless be derived from this excellent offbeat comedy, acted to great effect and intelligently written by two future stars of French cinema, Fabrice Eboué & Thomas N'Gijol.

Roberto Benigni's La Vitta e Bella tried to bring comedy into a concentration camp. Some have loved the result, but many have complained that the camp didn't look as hard as it really was, or that it was too easy to depict the nicest Jews against the evil Nazis.

Case Départ avoids both of these problems: the two heroes are both horrible, horrible persons, and their exposition scenes are small masterpiece in dark humor. And then, when, through the spell of a witch, they go back to 1780 at the time of slavery, the scenes are really painful to watch. You got the chains, the whip... They hardly toned it down to keep it funny.

You gotta hand it to the writers, who managed to make a comedy about slavery, when few things are less funny. But the movie also has quite a social statement to make, and makes it smartly as well as funnily. By having the two main characters representing one extreme of being Black in France (one is an "Oreo", the other a never-do-good who blames Whites first)... as you can guess, by the end of their journey, they will both have learned something important about their identity.

I recommend this film wholeheartedly.