Les Olympiades, Paris 13e (Jacques Audiard, 2021)

[Pavel]

Trailer

[colinr0380]

I don't know if this has been noted elsewhere but Curzon has released Les Olympiades (as Paris, 13th District) on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK. Features are the trailer a Q&A with Audiard and an insert of an art card by Adrian Tomine.

[domino harvey]

Really appreciated Jacques Audiard's Les Olympiads, a full-length narrative adaptation of three Adrian Tomine stories. For me the point of Tomine's comics is his art, so already I was skeptical going in, but I found this to be quite engaging and honest and veeery frank in its sexual attitudes. A lot of credit goes to the trio of actors who make up the central roles, two of which are relative newcomers alongside everyone's favorite Noemie Merlant. I thought Lucie Zhang in particular was a terrific discovery, and I hope we see her in more movies soon.

[Never Cursed]

How closely does the film stick to the comics? I liked it too and was wondering if the comics, if available in English, were worth seeking out (particularly "Amber Sweet," which I'm assuming is the base of the most melancholy and interesting thread of Audiard's adaptation)

[domino harvey]

The only story here I was familiar with is from Summer Blonde and is pretty unrecognizable as it is interwoven here (it's about Zhang's character but not so much her storyline), probably because that story depends on a narrative built around using a payphone, so no modern adaptation would be possible

[swo17]

The Blu-ray's only $13 right now on Deep Discount

[brundlefly]

I checked Killing and Dying and Summer Blonde from the library (Tomine is American and the books are in English) after seeing it and appreciate what Audiard, Sciamma, and Léa Mysius did with them. They wander in and out of a few stories, taking what they wanted and sometimes running with them in a different direction.

Spoiler

There is no romance in the original "Amber Sweet," probably for the best. "Killing and Dying" is a whole story about the younger sister's comedy class, here extricated and softened and mostly serving as sweet background detour.

Even the film's black and white strikes a wildly different tone from the comic's grays. Audiard and Guilhaume work against the environment and lean into a romantic, youthful glow. Tomine's world is flat and sharp and often melancholic. They're both worthwhile and make for interesting complements/contrasts.

[domino harvey]

The Blu-ray's only $13 right now on Deep Discount

Huh, didn’t even realize this got a US release. Does anyone know if every release is censored (or if it’s intentional)? The version I watched pixelated the dick pic Zhang received on the dating app

I’m also very surprised this received only an R rating…

[brundlefly]

That was pixelated when I saw it in the theater, and again on AMC+.

[domino harvey]

Based on this UK review, it's pixelated there as well -- looks like even if it's not pixelated in France, that release isn't English-friendly. Not the end of the world, just a weird choice in a world where Jane Fonda once held up an erect penis in front of Yves Montand's head and it made that film's DVD menu here

[therewillbeblus]

The Blu-ray's only $13 right now on Deep Discount

Huh, didn’t even realize this got a US release. Does anyone know if every release is censored (or if it’s intentional)? The version I watched pixelated the dick pic Zhang received on the dating app

I can confirm that the U.S. blu-ray pixelates the image