The Second Act, directed by Quentin Dupieux, had its world premiere at the opening of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival. The director, who at one time was a DJ, for more than a decade has been shaping his cinema within a certain framework. His films, which are independent projects, are still in many ways based on his original ideas and abstract visions presented on the screen. Dupieux creates cinema that is impossible to pass by indifferently. Curious scenes like those from Mandibles, Smoking Causes Coughing and Rubber also appear in The Second Act, but unlike his previous productions, Dupieux elevates himself and the project on a few grounds.

First of all, The Second Act is a film within a film. The title of the film can be considered in terms of various metaphors and is also the name of the restaurant where much of the film takes place. The four protagonists play characters in a very theatrical way in a film whose director is an artificial intelligence. We get to know the characters in pairs. The first is two actors just playing a scene of friends walking, who have a chaotic dialogue during such. David (Louis Garrel) asks his friend Willy (Raphaël Quenard) a very strange favor which is to seduce his girlfriend, Florence (Léa Seydoux), towards whom he does not reciprocate a strong feeling. The very extended “conversation-walk” scene, is on the one hand a great introduction to the concept the director has for the film, and on the other hand is filled with previews of what we will see in the film. The character-actors break the fourth wall several times, although there is a blurring between the films – that of Dupieux and that of the director-AI, whose sceneries we see in The Second Act.

After a several-minute sequence of David and Willy, the action moves a few hundred meters away where Florence, tries to convince Guillaume (Vincent Lindon) to actually put any effort into playing the role of her father. Guillaume, who is, in his mind, a great star of French cinema, treats the project he is taking part in in a clownish manner. Nevertheless, he forces himself to continue working on the film in a rather clumsy way. And here again, the makers of The Second Act, apply the treatments of the first sequence. They attack political correctness on many levels and balance black humor against good taste. When all four finally participate in a joint scene in the eponymous restaurant, the film kicks off and doesn’t slow down until the very end.

The Second Act is full of quirks and absurdities and is an extremely intriguing production. While the concept of a film within a film is not something completely unheard of, Dupieux did not make any bad decisions while working on the movie. Whether it’s his screenplay, the execution of the various themes or the technical issues, they stand at a very good standard. Of course, it helps a lot that the film features four well-known French actors, but putting them to the task of playing absurd roles that aren’t necessarily the good PR ones was a bold step for both them and Dupieux. Throwing a quasi-amateur into the acting pot as a waiter/restaurant employee disrupts the film’s predictable dynamics, and ends up being one of the better moments of the entire production.

The film, directed by Quentin Dupieux, is one of those must-see positions when it comes to independent cinema festivals. The filmmaker allows himself a lot and proves that he deserves such a position. His script, although simple, has a lot “under the skin”, and wrapping the whole thing in absurdity, obsessions, hypocrisy and a large dose of chaos allows us to take a lot of pleasure in discovering more mysteries of this seemingly simple film. And, of course, as it is in the French school of philosophy and in Dupieux’s case, there was no lack of existential themes and doubts about reality and various shades of truth and authenticity.

We are already inviting you to see The Second Act during the 18th edition of the Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema in Krakow within the section Stay Sane! Upcoming screenings:

• 27/04/2025 | 14:45 | Aula ASP | Academy of Fine Arts
• 04/05/2025 | 15:00 | Aula ASP | Academy of Fine Arts

Marcin Telega