• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Chicago International Film Festival Capsule Review – Paris, 13th District

October 14, 2021 by Robert Kojder

Paris, 13th District, 2021.

Directed by Jacques Audiard.
Starring Noémie Merlant, Makita Samba, Lucie Zhang, Jehnny Beth, Geneviève Doang, Pol White, Line Phé, Annabelle Milot, Lumina Wang, Camille Léon-Fucien, Stephen Manas, Rong-Ying Yang, Raphaelle Doyle, Oceane Cairaty, and Anaïde Rozam.

SYNOPSIS:

Émilie meets Camille who is attracted to Nora, who crosses paths with Amber. Three girls and a boy – They’re friends, sometimes lovers and often both.

Forget getting to know the characters, they are having sex with one other after barely getting to know each other in Jacques Audiard’s Paris, 13th District. Emilie (Lucie Zhang) is seeking a new roommate and develops an instant physical attraction for Former teacher Camille (Makita Samba). It also becomes apparent that her feelings go beyond body and flesh desiring something real, even after they both agreed to keep it casual since Camille is working on his doctorate.

Noémie Merlant’s college student Nora faces the opposite problem; whereas Emilie is sexually promiscuous and lustful, celebrating sex and are regularly sleeping with different guys off dating social media apps, an unfortunate wig choice causes confusion among dimwitted campus men under the impression that Nora is actually a popular Internet sex worker. As a result, she is straight up sexually harassed, sending her down a path of talking to the actual Amber Sweet (Jehnny Beth) and seeing how striking the similarities are.

Time skips also see Camille and Nora working together at a real estate company, so between the four of them (it’s clear that Nora is garnering an affection for Amber while chatting online), there’s a love square that doesn’t necessarily amount to much beyond more sex. It’s also unclear what black-and-white cinematography adds to a project like this, but like most aspects here it’s easy on the eyes without offering much brain stimulation.

It also doesn’t help that, while young and uncovering more of their identities, these characters come across self-absorbed and careless towards the people they are getting close to. That’s not to say they are unlikable, but when the other half of the movie is, admittedly erotic, sex scenes, there’s not a whole lot to connect to emotionally (sex is rarely used to convey something relevant to the characters, outside a terrific moment of self-discovery and ownership of her sexual abilities with Nora).

That’s also shocking considering the script comes from Noémie Merlant collaborator Céline Sciamma, Jacques Audiard, Nicolas Livecchi), and Léa Mysius working from short stories by Adrian Tomine. There’s just not enough character heat behind all that burning desire, although anyone looking for simple and sexually charged storytelling headed in predictable crowd-pleasing directions will find something of value.

Tickets can be purchased here.

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

 

Filed Under: Festivals, Movies, Reviews, Robert Kojder Tagged With: Anaïde Rozam, Annabelle Milot, Camille Léon-Fucien, Chicago International Film Festival, Geneviève Doang, Jacques Audiard, Jehnny Beth, Line Phé, Lucie Zhang, Lumina Wang, Makita Samba, Noemie Merlant, Oceane Cairaty, Paris 13th District, Pol White, Raphaelle Doyle, Rong-Ying Yang, Stephen Manas

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

14 Incredible Sci-Fi Movie Scores

7 Underappreciated Final Girls in Horror

Francis Ford Coppola In And Out Of The Wilderness

The Return of Cameron Diaz: Her Best Movies Worth Revisiting

When Movie Artwork Was Great

6 Abduction Thrillers You May Have Missed

Fantastical, Flawed and Madcap: 80s British Horror Cinema

The Essential Man vs. AI Movies

The Essential Modern Day Swashbucklers

The Gruesome Brilliance of 1980s Italian Horror Cinema

Top Stories:

Batman is James Gunn’s “biggest issue” and he’s working to get The Brave and the Bold “right”

Liam Neeson is on the case in new The Naked Gun trailer

Movie Review – Bride Hard (2025)

Ten Unmade Film Masterpieces

Blu-ray Review – Castle Freak (1995)

Matthew McConaughey to star as Mike Hammer for True Detective’s Nic Pizzolatto

4K Ultra HD Review – Darling (1965)

Nicholas Galitzine teases He-Man look as Masters of the Universe wraps filming

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

8 Essential Feel-Good British Underdog Movies

Ranking Reese Witherspoon’s Romantic Comedies

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Revisited: The Birth of a Horror Icon

Action Movies Blessed with Stunning Cinematography

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket