dromasca

The year 2025 is off to a good start for me in terms of television series. 'Des gens bien' ('Good People'), a six-episode French-speaking Belgian mini-series, is a gem that begs to be discovered. Very few people seem to have seen it so far and in any case few have written about it, but what I watched is a comic detective series, a 'film noir' with a lot of color (pardon the metaphor), with characters who seem to be taken from everyday life, confirming the saying that in every person there can be a devil or an angel or sometimes both a devil and an angel. The comparison that immediately came to mind after I started watching it is the series 'Fargo' created by the Coen brothers, which continues the wonderful film of the same name. Here too, we are dealing with seemingly banal characters who are forced by bad luck or who are given the opportunity of a heist or scam that can change their lives. If they succeed, they would become rich or at least get out of debt, but then the film would not be so interesting. Everything bad that can happen to them does happen and even more. The heroes of the film are under permanent pressure, they grab every opportunity and do not hesitate to resort to any deed to get away with it. Which, of course, is not easy.

It is very difficult to write something about what happens in the film without committing the spoiler sin, because the surprises start from the first episod and continue without interruption. So I will mention in random order only a list of situations and characters that I hope will arouse interest. In this series, we are dealing with a spectacular car accident, with people disappearing and bodies appearing in the forest, with Belgian police and French gendarmes who are bored in their corners of the country, with young people who wait for the arrival of extraterrestrials and lure them with fires in the fields, with a church whose parishioners frequent a tanning salon, with evangelical believers who are guided by the letter of the Bible, with loving and adulterous wives, with abandoned girlfriends and with criminals released on parole, with drug addicts and relatives of the royal family. Everything takes place in a wooded area on the border between Belgium and France, countries connected by a two-way regional road on which important events in the story take place and separated where the border is by some rusty signs with stars in a circle in fewer numbers than they should be.

The narrative is fluent, but not linear. After the first episode, in which the event that triggers the story takes place, we return - for the next two episodes - to the past, to understand what determined the actions of the heroes. However, returning means a change of perspective on what we have seen so far. The cards are turned over again in episodes 4-6 and the surprises do not cease. Everything is told with an empathetic tone and approach, in such a way that none of the characters (maybe with one exception) can be truly disliked. In life and in films like this, there are no absolute bad guys, all are actually 'good guys'. The music composed or selected by Eloi Ragot contributes to the atmosphere, alternating comic and tense scenes, with many surprises in between. The entire cast is excellent, each of the actors enters or lives their role well, and I will only mention the names of the two actors who play the main roles - Lucas Meister and Bérangère Mc Neese. I had noticed the latter in the series 'HPI' for her expressive comedy potential, here she has a more dramatic role and plays it with elegance and passion. If you have the opportunity to see 'Des gens bien' don't miss it - it is both a captivating thriller and quality fun entertainment.

There are a few films made in the 1940s in the crime film noir genre that have not only managed to stand the test of time, but have also created a style and cinematic direction that have been followed by well-known filmmakers - American and from other parts of the world - in the decades that have followed since then. The 1944-made 'Laura' is a very good example on this regard. Like many other American films of those years, it owes a lot to filmmakers from Europe who had taken refuge in the New World because of the Nazi persecutions. The film was produced by Bukovina-born Otto Preminger and was initially directed by Rouben Mamoulian, replaced during filming by Preminger himself. The producer took director responsibilities of this film because he was dissatisfied with the rewriting of the script and the directions taken by Mamoulian in the approach to the screen adaptation of the novel by Vera Caspary (who also co-wrote the script). I saw the film 80 years after its production and premiere and I can say that there are many good reasons to watch it even today.

At first glance, 'Laura' is a fairly classic 'whodunit'. A New York police inspector investigates the murder of a beautiful and intelligent woman who had been coveted by many suitors, including an adventurer who almost convinced her to marry him and an older journalist specializing in reporting on crime investigations not very different from the one at the center of the film. In order not to spoil the pleasure of those who will want to watch the film, I will not say more than that the plot provides enough surprises and twists to keep the attention of viewers then and today on the alert.

The detective story would not be enough, however, especially 80 years after the crimes were committed. 'Laura' also excels in its visual style and in the quality of two of the main actors. The story takes place in the well-off economic and social environment of journalists and advertising creators in New York. The war is not mentioned at all, probably because this is one of the escapist films of the period that tried to remove the audience from the surrounding atmosphere, whether it was the spectators at home or the soldiers on the battlefronts. Instead, we are introduced to the homes of some of the heroes, decorated with art objects, one of which will also play a role in the detective plot. It is the first collaboration between Preminger and the cinematographer Joseph LaShelle and the symbiosis between the two is already felt. The female lead character is played by Gene Tierney, a beautiful and expressive actress, in her first leading role in a career that should have been longer. The role of the journalist is played by Clifton Webb, an exceptional actor, brought by Preminger from Broadway. His style of interpretation fits the role perfectly and reminded me of Jeremy Irons' good roles. Both Gene Tierney and Clifton Webb stand out from the rest of the cast and if they could be transported forward in time to today's era they could easily find their place in Hollywood casts. 'Laura' is a fresh and interesting experience. If you get the chance to watch it, don't miss it!