The Second Act

(Le Deuxième Acte)

The opening film at Cannes this year, the latest from director Quentin Dupieux, idiosyncratic creator of _Deerskin _(2019) and Smoking Causes Coughing (2022), is a typically mischievous piece. As always, Dupieux has enlisted a cast featuring some of the best of contemporary French actors, with Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, and Louis Garrel all featuring in this absurdist tale of actors trying to escape the film they’re making. David (Garrel) and Willy (Raphäel Quenard) are making their way towards a restaurant where David hopes to offload girlfriend Florence (Seydoux) to his friend. Meanwhile, Florence is keen for David to meet her father Guillaume (Lindon), who is joining them at the restaurant. The quartet regularly break character to bemoan one aspect or another of the film and the industry, with Dupieux adding layer upon layer by playing with what is performance and what isn’t.