After his ambitious foray into harder sci-fi with The Empire, Bruno Dumont is returning to the coming-of-age film with his highly anticipated Directors’ Fortnight selection Red Rocks, following two gangs of kids on the French Riviera over the course of the summer as friendships and first attractions start to develop. Ahead of the world premiere on May 20, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the first trailer and poster.
With cinematography from Carlos Alfonso Corral, a regular collaborator of Roberto Minervini, the trailer teases a different register for Dumont than his recent spate of films, adopting a highly energetic feel as youthful as his subjects. Starring Kaylon Lancel (Géo), Kelsie Verdeilles (Eve), Louise Podolski (Manon), Mohamed Coly (Rouben), Alessandro Piquera (B), and Meryl Pires (Do), the film clocks in at 91 minutes.
Here’s the synopsis: “On the French Riviera, two gangs of kids compete in the perilous game of cliff jumping. Géo, barely five years old, discovers over the course of a summer a world where friendship blends with rivalry, and where the first stirrings of the heart emerge against the dazzling Mediterranean landscape.”
“Red Rocks marks a new turn in his filmography,” said the team at Directors’ Fortnight. “Shot in the French Riviera, with very young children, the film adopts a documentary-like approach, led by the deliberate use of wide-angle lenses. Once again, Dumont explores the grace that can emerge from cinema.”
See the exclusive trailer and poster (created by artist Bilal Hamdad) below.
