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Lost Illusions

Illusions perdues

2021

Xavier Giannoli

Benjamin Voisin, Cécile De France, Vincent Lacoste, Xavier Dolan ...

7.0

2,722

Drama Lucien is a young unknown poet in 19th century France. He has great hopes and wants to forge his destiny. He leaves the family printing house in his native province to try his luck in Paris on the arm of his patroness of the arts. Quickly left to fend for himself in this fabulous town, the young man will discover what goes on behind the scenes in this world devoted to the law of profit and pretense. An adaptation of Honoré de Balzac's novel "Les illusions perdues". [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Peter Debruge Variety	"This sweeping period drama may be up to its eyeballs in costumes and carriages, but it plays with all the brio and jeopardy of a modern-day gangster movie"
		Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter	"I was thoroughly charmed by Giannoli’s film. With its stellar performances, dramatic orchestral score and rich costume and set design"
		Gary M. Kramer Salon	"'Illusions perdues' makes all this drama captivating for its entire 150 minutes, which speed by nimbly (...) The film is impeccably made —the cinematography, costumes, and art direction are all fabulous"
		Jonathan Romney Screendaily	"It’s a shame that Giannoli’s film, while ambitious, confidently executed and more than honourable, nevertheless feels like something of a relic."
		William Repass Slant	"[It] doesn't merely wrap up the politics of our time in gauzy nostalgia (...) Giannoli sacrifices the cinematic spectacle on the pedestal of Balzac's message, all the timelier for its timelessness (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Stephanie Bunbury Deadline	"It is filmmaking so conservative that it seems to hearken back to a time before the jump-cut."
		Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"Balzac adaptation is period-drama perfection (...) It's acted with such terrific panache that not enjoying it is impossible (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Ethan Vestby The Film Stage	"A good tale clearly relevant to the social-media age of clout-chasing and strict political binaries (...) The sense of thought and detail that immortalizes Balzac isn't translated"
		Rafael Motamayor Collider	"'Illusions perdues' provide a fun, provocative, hilarious, and at times even moving tale with a protagonist and a setting we have not seen before (...) [It] is sure to spark some conversations"
		William Bibbiani The Wrap	"'Illusions perdues' offers a wicked reminder there's something deeply broken in the way we communicate in the media, at least as an institution, and that we still haven't found a way to fix it"
		Sheila O'Malley rogerebert.com	"The cast is excellent overall, with Lacoste and Dolan as the standouts (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Jan Lumholdt Cineuropa	"Giannoli lavishly fills his large canvas with life, colour and generous servings of epicurean pageantry."

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