L'argent
UW Cinematheque 821 University Ave., UW Vilas Hall, Room 4070, Madison, Wisconsin
media release: France | 1983 | DCP | 84 min. | French with English subtitles
Director: Robert Bresson; Cast: Christian Patey, Vincent Risterucci, Caroline Lang
In his stark final film, master filmmaker Bresson intensifies his austere blend of spiritual contemplation and formal precision. Inspired by a Tolstoy novella and re-set in contemporary Paris, L’argent tracks a counterfeit bill used in a schoolboy prank that ultimately is given to a young truck driver, leading to imprisonment and violence. Working in his 80s, Bresson crafts a compelling, yet unforgiving vision of a cold, dehumanizing world.