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Growing up, Mathieu Demy was certainly no stranger to the film world. The actor is the son of legendary filmmakers Agnes Varda and Jacques Demy, and his own foray in front of the camera has found him in such features as “God is Great, But I’m Not,” “Aram” and “The Girl On The Train.” However, Demy is ready to follow in the footsteps of his parents and is headed to TIFF this week to show off his directorial debut, “Americano.” This past spring we unveiled the first look at the project, and with its world premiere now looming, we’ve got some more images and two clips to give you a taste of what’s to come.
Featuring an impressive cast that includes children of moviemaking royalty with Demy himself, Chiara Mastroianni and Geraldine Chaplin along with Carlos Bardem and Salma Hayek, the story will follow Martin (Demy), a man grieving from the death of his mother while escaping a failing relationship, who returns to Los Angeles, where he grew up, to sort out his inheritance. Troubled by childhood memories, he goes off to track down Lola, a Mexican woman (Hayek) who he knew in childhood, eventually finding her down at the Americano club in Tijuana, where she works as a stripper. Mastroianni will play Martin’s ex-girlfriend, while Chaplin will play an old friend of the family who kicks off his quest.
The first clips are certainly impressive. Shot on location in Tijuana, the lived-in grime is certainly felt, but we were most taken by the use of sound and music in the footage. The electronic theme that runs in each clip is pretty exciting and memorable and the movie itself will be using previous pieces by Oscar winner Georges Delerue and new material from Grégoire Hetzel.
“Americano” is playing at TIFF, which kicks off tomorrow, and will be seeking North American distribution. Check out the footage below along with the official synopsis and a batch of new images for the film.
Martin lives in Paris with Claire. Their relationship has hit a dead end.
When he loses his mother back in California, Martin must return to the city of his childhood to deal with the formalities surrounding his inheritance.
In Los Angeles, he’s greeted by Linda, a family friend who offers to help him through the difficult time. She takes him to his mother’s apartment, in a neighborhood he used to know well when they lived there together. Images from his childhood resurface and disturb him.
Martin can’t face up to his mom’s death and takes off to Tijuana on the trail of Lola, a Mexican woman he used to know, and who held a special place in his mother’s life. He finds her at the Americano, a club where she dances every night…
But to make his own peace, Martin will have to delve into his past.
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