Review: ‘THE WORST ONES (Les Pires)’- art imitates life in this beautifully moving film.

Set in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France, The Worst Ones captures a film within a film as it follows the production of a feature whose director turns to the local Cité Picasso housing project for casting. Eager to capture performances of gritty authenticity, the director selects four working class teenagers to act in the film to the surprise and consternation of the local community, who question the director’s choice of “the worst ones.” As the director and crew audition, rehearse, film, and interact with their hand-picked cast, jealousies are stoked, lines are crossed, and ethical questions arise, with thought-provoking and at times darkly funny results. Winner of the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, The Worst Ones announces directors Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret as exciting new voices in French cinema.


THE WORST ONES is a meta-narrative that succeeds in conveying hope through hardship. Not only does the film shine in its storytelling, embracing heartbreak and socioeconomic trauma, but the performances also by our four young actors will hypnotize the viewer. Check out the clip below for a taste:

Timéo Mahaut and Mallory Wanecque play the theatrical brother and sister duo, Lily and Ryan. Each pulling from the script an element of abandonment and aggression. This recurring theme is “permission to feel,” The screenplay skillfully taps into the idea that these children struggle to experience a traditional childhood when food, parents, stability, and peace seem out of reach. Their casting becomes the ultimate healing outlet. THE WORST ONES boasts a compelling film-within-a-film structure with an ending that leaves an impression on your soul.

 


Cannes award-winning feature THE WORST ONES (Les Pires), will open theatrically today in New York on March 24 (The Quad) and in Los Angeles on April 7 (Laemmle Monica) with additional cities including Chicago, Denver, and more to follow.