Grande École (film)

Grande École (2004) is a French film, directed by Robert Salis.

Plot

Paul is an upper-class young man who is about to start at a grande école, one of the system of mostly public colleges to which students are admitted based on a highly competitive process and whose graduates often gain prestigious employment. He has chosen to live with two new roommates instead of his girlfriend Agnès.

As a result, with his studies, he has little time to see her. Agnès perceives cracks in their relationship when she suspects Paul's attraction to one of his new roommates, the aristocratic Louis-Arnault. Paul denies any homosexual attraction, but Agnès decides to make a bet with him: whichever of them beds Louis-Arnault first, wins. If she does, Paul must stop exploring his sexuality; if he does, she will leave him.

Before the bet plays out, Paul meets Mécir, a young Arab worker, who becomes besotted with him. With Mécir, Paul goes on a journey of discovery that changes many of his ideas about class, cultural differences and sexuality.

Cast

• Gregori Baquet ... Paul
• Alice Taglioni ... Agnès
• Jocelyn Quivrin ... Louis-Arnault
• Élodie Navarre ... Emeline
• Arthur Jugnot ... Chouquet
• Salim Kechiouche ... Mécir
• Eva Darlan ... Mrs Chouquet
• Lakshantha Abenayake ... Jailed journalist
• Yasmine Belmadi ... Worker flashback
• Jacques Collard ... Invitee
• Jo Prestia ... Head of workshop
• Jamal Hadir ... Mécir's brother
• Gilbert Desveaux ... An instructor
• Arnaud Binard ... Water-polo trainer
• Adan Jodorowsky ... Student start-up (as Adam Jodorowsky)
• Jean-Michel Cannone ... Paul's father
• Hanifa Mizi-Alloua ... Mécir's mother
• Eva Saint-Paul ... Louis-Arnault's mother
• Jean-Loup Wolff ... Louis-Arnault's father
• Eric Seigne ... Chaplain
• Pierre Aussedat ... School principal

Reception

External links

• Grande École at the Internet Movie Database
• Grande école