Philippe Garrel brings his children together in Le Grand Chariot (trailer)
For the Garrels, cinema is a family affair.
“Le Grand Chariot is a constellation of stars. It is also a puppet theatre.” Philippe Garrel returns with a new film (the 28th of his long career), The Big Cart. It is the name of the small family puppet theatre, run by a family of actors, which will be at the heart of the plot. A story of cinema, family, and craftsmanship: after The salt of tears which recounted the passion of a son for his father, transmission is once again at the heart of the project. He recounts the tragic and romantic destiny of a family of puppeteer artists (a profession that had been practiced by Maurice Garrelthe filmmaker’s father, before becoming an actor), and questions the more universal idea of artistic heritage and success.
“You will find in this film the idea that I want to see in the disintegration of a company of puppeteer artists, that of a metaphor for a world where traditions are dying”, explains Phillipe Garrel.
A new family drama that is akin to an autobiographical tale, focusing less on the director himself than on his own children. However, he assures him that he did not want to make an “autofiction”: “It’s the fate of all artists to have luck or not on their side“, he said at the 73rd Berlinale, when he received the Silver Bear for best director.
A casting that takes on the appearance of a family reunion, which we find in full in the first images of the film. This is not the first time that Philippe Garrel has staged his children: Louis Garrelthe most famous of them, starred in seven of his father’s films (Regular Lovers, A Burning Summer), while Esther shot in three of them (Lover for a day). There is also Lena, who we recently saw in The Almond Trees. A poster/family photo totally assumed by the director:
“I wanted to make a film with my three children who have successively become actors in recent years with other directors (I would especially not have wanted to annex them to myself by being the first to hire them).”
We can also find Damien Mongin (Regular Lovers) And Aurelien Recoingson of the famous puppeteer Alain Recoing.
The Great Cart will be released in theaters September 13, 2023. Trailer :
