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ARTHUR RAMBO by Laurent Cantet premiered at the 20th FICM

Daniel G. Hernández

Daniel G. Hernández

“I believe that there is currently something that is pertinent to observe and that is what is happening on social networks.” These are the words with which Laurent Cantet presented his film Arthur Rambo at the 20th Morelia International Film Festival (FICM).

Laurent Cantet is a French film director. He studied at the Institute for Advanced Cinematographic Studies in Paris. He has won different awards such as the César Award, the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Abrazo Award at the Latin American Film Festival.

 

Arthur Rambo tells the story of Karim, a young Arab man who places himself in the high life of the intellectual elite as a prestigious writer in Parisian literature. Long ago, he used to make homophobic and anti-Semitic jokes using his internet alter ego, Arthur Rambo. Which came to light after oblivion, threatening to destroy all of his current success.

"Even for those who are not fans of social networks, we can say that we are all marked by what happens in them and by how they work," Laurent told the audience before screening the film.

At the end of the film, there was an interaction between Laurent Cantet and the audience, where attendees had the opportunity to exchange ideas with director Claire Denis, who was also among the film's audience.

“I am someone who also has anger, inner violence, that I try to tame. But hey, at my age, I'm basically your average French woman. It is easy to tame that violence”, the French director stated.

"Above all, it's easy because you have means of expression that are open to you and thanks to which you manage to channel all this," Laurent Cantet responded.

After this brief exchange of ideas, Laurent reflected on how social networks have had such a great impact on the daily life of human beings. He also spoke about how the misuse of the networks can harm other people and asked the audience: When does freedom of expression end?

“The right to be forgotten no longer exists. Suddenly, what you wrote or what you said can resurface, when you least expect it, even if it was a long time ago,” concluded Laurent Cantet.