Vendredi soir

Friday night. Laure has finished packing and shuts the door of her apartment behind her. Early next morning, the moving men will be on the doorstep and she will move in with her boyfriend. Tonight she is going out to dinner with good friends, but she has forgotten that traffic in the city has degenerated into chaos because of a public transport strike. It doesn’t budge. But Laure feels good in her car, the only place she has for herself right now. It’s nice and warm and she has music. Around her, people hoot their horns and get worked up. Everyone, except for one man, Jean (Vincent Lindon). He is standing in the street, in the glow of an illuminated sign, calm and self-assured.
Vendredi soir is a lyrical and visual portrayal of a one-night stand, as described by Emmanuelle Bernheim in her book. Claire Denis filmed the novel in a subdued way, in a calm tempo and almost without dialogue. The camera takes centre stage, in the light of Paris by night. The film reveals little, but goes a long way. The physical attraction between Laure and Jean is tangible through the camera lens, and when Jean gets in the car with Laure, you can feel his warmth and smell his scent. Claire Denis and her team (including resident camerawoman Agnès Godard and composer Dickon ‘Tindersticks’ Hinchliffe) have again delivered the goods.