Romantic comedy is a favorite genre of French cinema. True, every year it is more and more difficult for filmmakers to surprise a picky viewer, so sometimes the most incredible ideas come to their aid. For example, the director Yugo Zhelen - the author of the kind family film “2 + 1” - in 2019 pleased the audience with a new work “Swap Places”, which combines the genres of melodrama, comedy and fantasy.
Plot, actors
The plot of the film tells the story of a young couple, Raphael and Olivia. They have been inseparable since the age of 18, but a long-term marriage turned into a successful writing career for him, and she was left disappointed and unable to realize herself in the professional field. Everything changes when, as a result of fantastic events, Raphael finds himself in a parallel dimension. Here he works as an ordinary school teacher, and most importantly, there is no beloved wife next to him.
In the new reality, Olivia is a successful pianist who has made a brilliant career and is engaged to a renowned producer. In order to somehow restore his old life, the main character decides to win the heart of his beloved woman again. But after their re-acquaintance and rapprochement, he begins to understand how wrongly and selfishly he behaved in marriage.
The main roles in the film were played by young French actors François Civil and Josephine Japy. Hugo Jelen drew attention to François at the casting of his first film "Like brothers", but in the end gave preference to his colleague Pierre Nina. But now he's glad that Trading Places gave them both a second chance to work together.
Actress Josephine Japi on the set had to overcome difficulties of a different nature. Since, according to the plot, her heroine is a virtuoso pianist, the girl needed to master playing the piano in the shortest possible time. For four months, she worked with a teacher for two hours a day, and she honed new skills on her own every day.
The roles of minor characters in the film were performed by: Camille Lelouch, Benjamin Laverne, Edith Scob, Guillaume Bouchede, Juliette Dol, Amaury de Craencourt and other French actors.
Creation story, trailer, premiere
Its creator has been working on the idea of the film for several years. Once Yugo Zhelena wanted to write a story about how just one meeting (friendly, romantic or professional) can change a person's life. He began to develop it together with screenwriter David Fokinkino, but the result was not very realistic. During this time, the young director filmed his debut work Like Brothers (2012) and nevertheless decided to return to the old idea again. This time he was helped by the writer Benjamin Parent, and the dialogues for the characters were invented by Igor Gotesman.
This is how the script for the film "My Stranger" was born - this is a literal translation of its title. In the Russian box office, another option was chosen for the film - "Swap Places." To start the plot, the authors had to resort to a fantastic genre, but in such a course the director sees nothing strange. Incidentally, he was inspired by the romantic comedy Groundhog Day, where the characters' lives also change due to supernatural events.
Nevertheless, in both cases, fantastic techniques, according to Zhelen, bear quite realistic consequences and allow the viewer to focus on the most simple, ordinary and important things. In addition, the young director sees a similarity between the comedy Trading Places and his previous works. For example, once again the plot of his stories revolves around a female character, and the main idea of all films remains the importance and value of true friendship.
The trailer for the film was released on February 22, 2019, and a week later it could be watched with Russian voice acting. In France, the comedy premiered on April 3. In addition, the new work of Hugo Zhelen participated in the competition program of the Alpe d'Huez festival, where François Sivil was awarded the Best Actor Award. With some delay - by July 25 - the film "Trading Places" will reach the Russian audience. However, his fabulous, romantic plot is the best fit for a summer trip to the cinema, when you want to watch something positive, sincere, and inspiring.
Movie Trailer
