Arthur Rambo Explained

Arthur Rambo should not be confused with Arthur Rimbaud.

Arthur Rambo
Director:Laurent Cantet
Producer:Marie-Ange Luciani
Starring:
Music:Chloé Thévenin
Cinematography:Pierre Milon
Editing:Mathilde Muyard
Studio:
  • France 2 Cinéma
  • Les Films de Pierre
  • Memento Films Production
Distributor:Memento Films
Runtime:87 minutes
Country:France
Language:French
Gross:$162,902[1]

Arthur Rambo is a 2021 French drama film directed by Laurent Cantet. The film stars Rabah Nait Oufella as Karim D., freely inspired by the story of Mehdi Meklat.[2] [3] The cast also includes Antoine Reinartz, Sofian Khammes, Anaël Snoek and Aleksandra Yermak. The film entered production in fall 2019.[4] It premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival in the Platform Prize program.[5] [6] It had its European premiere in the Golden Shell competition at the 69th San Sebastián International Film Festival.[7]

The film was Cantet's final feature film as a director before his death in April 2024.[8]

Plot

Karim D. is a young writer riding success with the new novel The Landing (French: Débarquement). A rare Arab rising star in Paris' intellectual hothouse, his social life shunts between glittering literary cocktails and hanging with his old friends from the banlieues. But Karim's teen online identity under the alias Arthur Rambo is revealed, a nickname in which a poet (Arthur Rimbaud) and a rejected veteran (Rambo) coexist, and the two worlds collide. Where Karim is now a nuanced author, "Arthur Rambo" was profane and blindly provocative, tweeting out hate-fuelled homophobic and anti-Semitic messages to get a rise out of bourgeois France.

Cast

Release

The film premièred at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2021[9] and in Europe at the 69th San Sebastián International Film Festival on 20 September 2021.[10] It was first theatrically released in France on 2 February 2022.[1] [11]

Reception

Box office

Arthur Rambo grossed $0 in the United States and Canada,[11] and a worldwide total of $162,902,[1] against a production budget of about $4.2 million.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 56% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.[12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Arthur Rambo (2021) . . 12 October 2022.
  2. Web site: Arthur Rambo: who is Rabah Naït Oufella, hero of this film inspired by the Mehdi Meklat affair? . gettotext.com . 3 February 2022 . 12 October 2022.
  3. News: «Arthur Rambo» : Laurent Cantet revient sur l'affaire Mehdi Meklat . . 1 February 2022 . 12 October 2022 . French.
  4. Web site: Fabien . Lemercier . Laurent Cantet is shooting Arthur Rambo . . 12 September 2019.
  5. News: Pat . Mullen . TIFF Unveils Line-up for 'Celebrating Alanis' Retrospective . . 11 August 2021.
  6. Web site: Arthur Rambo - Laurent Cantet - TIFF . tiff.net . 12 October 2022.
  7. News: John . Hopewell . Jamie . Lang . San Sebastian Competition Includes Cantet, Davies, Hadzihalilovic, Llosa, Simon . . 19 July 2021.
  8. Web site: Laurent Cantet Dies: Palme d'Or-Winning 'The Class' Director Was 63 . 25 April 2024 .
  9. Web site: Arthur Rambo / TIFF21 / TIFFR . tiffr.com . 12 October 2022.
  10. Web site: Festival Diary - A literary star's sudden fall from grace - San Sebastian Film Festival . sansebastianfestival.com . 20 September 2021 . 12 October 2022.
  11. Web site: Arthur Rambo (2022) - Financial Information . The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC . 12 October 2022.
  12. Web site: Arthur Rambo . . 12 October 2022.