From Cineurope:

Written by Philippe Garrel, Arlette Langmann and Marc Cholodenko, the plot follows a young photographer about to tie the knot. On the morning of the wedding, while he is getting dressed, a vision appears to him in the mirror of his ex-lover, an actress who committed suicide after he cut out her out from his life and who has now come back to haunt him, calling him from another world.

La Frontière de l'aube had an eight-week Paris shoot in July and August 2007 and stars Louis Garrel (Love Songs) and Laura Smet (The Bridesmaid).

Financial support came from Eurimages funding (€330,000), CNC advances on receipts (€400,000), and €400,000 from the Ile-de-France region’s technical support fund for the film and audiovisual industries.

Produced on a €2.37m by Rectangle Productions and co-produced by Italy’s Urania Pictures (21%), the film has been pre-sold to Ciné Cinéma. Sales agent Films Distribution got business underway for the film (bought for Italy, Canada and Switzerland).

More Nico-grief.

Four photos from the film © Les Films du Losange

If this at all resembles The Regular Lovers, (screening at the Lincoln Center in NYC this Saturday, FYI) it should just be about the greatest thing ever.

Garrel pere has entered a new phase thanks to Garrel fils.

Eh, come again?

I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with Garrel - do you mean that Philippe Garrel has been reinvigorated artistically by his son or that his son's success and name recognition has enabled the father to be able to make the films he wants (or both)?

Louis is the spitting image of his dad at his age. This is what made Les Amants Reguliers possible. He has also become a star in his own right in other director's films.

Cannes' page of the film.

Those stills look beautiful. Any new Garrel is a good thing.

Trailer and the film is to be released on October 8.


The English Press Kit has more stills and an interview with Philippe Garrel.


David, I am a newcomer to Garrel's films (I have only seen two of his films) so is your comment a reproach to Garrel and his risk of stagnating and making a parody of his past with Nico? In Sauvage Innocence Garrel does make a comment about the Director's fixation on his past girlfriend via the father's comment about making another film about her.

No, not a parody at all. It's a full-time obsession -- and quite understandable if you know anything at all about Nico and all the years he spent with her. She was THE "girlfriend." And it was very hard to break away -- even though she did the breaking first. She ran off with one of the band members -- a fellow junkie. Garrel was apparently able to kick the habit. Nico never wanted to.

Louis' mother is actress Brigitte Sy.

Canal+ has a great webpage of La Frontière de l’aube with film clips, interviews, panel discussions and still photos. No English subtitles.

For anyone in the area this film will be screened this Sunday at the Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th Street, Lincoln Center (212) 875-5600 as part of the Film Comment Selects series.

Any film starring Laura Smet is worth seeing (even Chabrol's middling La demoiselle d'honneur), so I'll definitely try to see this on Sunday. Thanks for the heads up!

It's basically a remake of all his other films. Much like all of his other films. Nice to look at tho.

Did you see it in 35mm? I ask because it's getting shown in Chicago on DigiBeta...

Yes. It might work in high quality video, but the cinematography is really the film's raison d'être. The story and dialogue could be produced by a computer that is familiar with Garrel's work.

Just saw this at the Brattle Theatre this morning - they were showing it as a sneak peak from IFC Films and it will be offered as part of their "Festival Direct" on demand service either today or tomorrow...

MK2 released the DVD with supplements not too long ago. No English subtitles listed.