En passant pécho réal. par Julien Hollande

Abstract

Reviewed by: En passant pécho réal. par Julien Hollande Ann Marie Moore Hollande, Julien, réal. En passant pécho. Int. Hedi Bouchenafa, Nassim Lyes, Nina Kepekian. Netflix, 2021. Hedi and Cokeman make their living peddling drywall dust and dog poop in lieu of drugs to the rich and unsuspecting, which frequently leads to physical confrontations. Early in the film, Hedi's sister marries a supposedly successful drug lord. This presents Hedi and Cokeman with the opportunity to sell high-end cocaine in their neighborhood. En passant pécho is the story of their inability to do so and their trials and failures along the way. The film is full of grotesque humor meant to entertain and shock the spectator. One of their neighbors has his head blown off in a misunderstanding and Cokeman picks up the body to play with it as one would a doll. Later, in a fight with police, an eyeball is dislodged and shown flying across the screen. This 'shock and awe' factor serves to distance the spectator from the characters and storyline, making it difficult for the spectator to engage. There are many things the director does to counteract this disengagement, leaving the spectator feeling a constant flux between enjoying the film and being horrified. The protagonists are physically aggressive toward one another and constantly fight, but they always stand up for each other. They have a close and deep friendship that allows the spectator to follow the storyline despite the horrific moments. The humor, while dark, comes from the mishaps that Cokeman and Hedi face during their adventures. Everything they undertake turns out poorly. The money from the first batch of cocaine they sell is stolen and the man they hire to help sell gets his head blown off with a bazooka. In addition, they get caught at the border and have to blow up the SUV they were given to transport the coke. Later, the woman helping Hedi hide his money turns out to be a lesbian and steals the money from his subsequent batches of coke. She leaves Hedi and Cokeman chained to a radiator heater and calls the police. The film ends with the two protagonists on their way to jail, but happy and laughing as they now get to live out Hedi's dream reality game of escaping from prison. This moment is a throwback to a conversation early in the film where Hedi describes his version of a reality game about escaping from a panic room. Cokeman's reaction to their impending imprisonment is typical of his behavior throughout the film (dressed in a fur coat and underwear for the duration of the film, he always laughs dramatically before he speaks). Despite the dark and shocking nature of the film, the spectator continually reengages in the storyline and remains curious about the outcome for the two protagonists. Based on a web series <http://www.youtube.com/user/enpassantpecho>, this film was directed by the younger son of François Hollande and Ségolène Royal. [End Page 219] Ann Marie Moore New Manchester High School (GA) Copyright © 2021 American Association of Teachers of French