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Shopping
(Petites misères)

Screening on Film
Directed by Philippe Boon and Laurent Brandenbourger.
With Albert Dupontel, Marie Trintignant, Serge Larivière.
Luxembourg/Belgium/France, 2002, 35mm, color, 77 min.
French with English subtitles.

In this offbeat comedy from first-time writer-directors Phillipe Boon and Laurent Brandenbourger, Albert Dupontel stars as Jean, a modern-day repo man who serves society (or so he has rationalized) by seizing the goods of chronic debtors. The profession has caused Jean to become extremely thrifty, adding tension to his already chilly marriage. Nicole (Trintignant) develops a veritable shopping phobia as a result of her husband’s frugality—she can barely shop for groceries without undergoing an anxiety attack—and one of Jean’s friends, a true spendthrift, must cure her of this disability. The quirky screenplay and the hilariously deadpan performances of the talented cast combine to assist this sharp satire of modern-day consumerism.

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