Noah’s Ark: An exciting first feature film (review)

The daily life of an association supporting young LGBT people chased away by their families. An exciting first feature where Finnegan Oldfield and Valérie Lemercier shine.

Don’t be fooled by the first few minutes of Noah’s ark. The cacophony that reigns there makes the setting up of the situation and the characters flirt dangerously with caricature. Don’t be fooled, but don’t arrive late because they give you the key to the film. This idea that we are going to follow this dive into the heart of an association welcoming young LGBT people thrown into the street by their families in the head of Alex, who the vagaries of life have forced to come and work there but who arrives with a only desire: to leave as quickly as possible. It is therefore logical that these teenagers or young adults bother him before, little by little, he becomes interested in them. The direction of Bryan Marciano (whose mastery is astonishing for a first feature) embraces this point of view, his camera initially very moving becoming more and more fixed. But for all that, there is nothing programmatic about this story. Marciano masters his subject and it is precisely because he spent time in one of these associations that he knows that each individual who comes to take refuge there is unique. Here he manages to bring a good dozen to life with a dexterity never found wanting. It makes them endearing both because they touch us and because they annoy us. The tearjerker is prohibited in this story where when violence arises, it does so brutally. Finnegan Oldfield impresses in the central role as does Valérie Lemercier in that of the director of this refuge, an unusually dramatic role for her, with its composition full of depth and nuances. Like the entire film.

Of Bryan Marciano. With Finnegan Oldfield, Valérie Lemercier, Elsa Guedj… Duration: 1h45. Released November 22, 2023