The Young Lieutenant
| Le Petit Lieutenant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Xavier Beauvois |
| Produced by | Why Not Productions |
| Written by |
Xavier Beauvois Guillaume Bréaud Jean-Eric Troubat Cédric Anger |
| Starring |
Jalil Lespert Nathalie Baye Antoine Chappey Jacques Perrin |
| Cinematography | Caroline Champetier |
| Edited by | Martine Giordano |
| Distributed by | Cinema Guild |
Release dates |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language |
French (English subtitles) |
The Young Lieutenant (French: Le petit lieutenant) is a 2005 drama by French director Xavier Beauvois.
Synopsis
The title character is Antoine Derouere, a young man from the provinces who has just graduated from the police academy. Antoine joins the force in Paris and is assigned to the city's busiest precinct.
Antoine's introduction to police work is rather unexciting. The audience sees him deal with an unruly drunk and take a report from a robbery victim. One day, though, Antoine's unit receives a report that a homeless man's body has been found in the Seine. Not long after, a university professor almost meets the same fate.
As the investigation of the river murder gathers momentum, Antoine's colleagues note a hint of romantic interest in Antoine by their unit commander, Caroline Vaudieu. Antoine laughs off the idea, citing his own lovely (and younger) wife, a schoolteacher who remained in their rural French village.
On one visit home, Antoine tells his father about watching a coroner conduct an autopsy. Antoine says that, as he watched the coroner lay out the victim's internal organs, he thought of Mozart: "How can all that stuff compose music?"
Caroline, meanwhile, is a recovering alcoholic who uses the excitement of the Seine murder investigation as a substitute for the high from liquor.
Cast
- Jalil Lespert — Antoine Derouere
- Nathalie Baye — Caroline Vaudieu
- Antoine Chappey — Louis Mallet
- Xavier Beauvois — Nicolas Morbe
- Jacques Perrin — Clermont
- Roschdy Zem — Solo
Awards and nominations
- César Awards (France)
- Won: Best Actress – Leading Role (Nathalie Baye)
- Nominated: Best Actor – Supporting Role (Roschdy Zem)
- Nominated: Best Director
- Nominated: Best Film
- Nominated: Best Writing (Xavier Beauvois, Guillaume Bréaud and Jean-Eric Troubat)
- European Film Awards
- Nominated: Best Actress – Leading Role (Nathalie Baye)
- Venice Film Festival (Italy)
- Won: Label Europa Cinemas (Xavier Beauvois)
External links
- Manohla Dargis' review in The New York Times
- The Young Lieutenant (Le petit lieutenant) at the Internet Movie Database
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