Funny, dynamic, cynical, and absurd – there are so many words to describe a short film like ‘Adieu Gaston‘. One thing’s for sure: Victor Guilbaud’s project won us over. This is a result not only of the excellent work of the technical team and actors but also of the bold directorial vision, which gives us a kind of “western fairy tale” focused on some quite atypical characters. The unpredictable combinations the director nonchalantly orchestrates, alternating apparently divergent stylistic registers, seem to spring from an artistic program that brings together the violence of Tarantino’s films, Roy Andersson’s cynicism and “buffoonery”, and the almost dreamlike spaces and colors of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Paradoxical as such a lineage may seem, well, the director succeeds in shaping these influences into an extremely homogeneous project, well-merged in terms of technical and acting accuracy, while whetting our appetite for the continuation and scope of this truly compelling fictional universe.
The life of a hitman isn’t easy… especially when things don’t go according to plan. Emile is tasked with killing Gaston. But how easy can this job be when our protagonist is put in some cringeworthy situations?
As previously mentioned, while it forms a cohesive whole with the necessary qualities to establish itself as a self-contained short film, Victor Guilbaud’s project runs the “risk” of generating such enthusiastic reactions that it is likely to leave many viewers yearning for a sequel. In other words, the director skillfully employs a limited set of behavioral traits to create a captivating array of characters. These characters, reminiscent of Beckett’s absurdist humor, add a touch of both sophistication and enjoyment to this project, shining brightly. We are certainly in front of a playful directorial voice that we are happy to host and reward in our festival.
For the dynamism, verve, and exuberance with which it illustrates a familiar yet strange universe, ‘Adieu Gaston’was awarded the Film of the Month distinction in the August 2023 edition of TMFF.
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