'France' Trailer: Celebrity Journalist Léa Seydoux Has A Crisis Of Vocation Conscience For Director Bruno Dumont

As we’ve noted in the last two weeks of this ongoing Cannes Film Festival, Léa Seydoux is the belle of the ball, and she has four films playing at Cannes, three of them in competition. The French actress has a leading role in “The Story Of My Wife,” a smaller role in Wes Anderson‘s “The French Dispatch,” the lead part in Arnaud Desplechin’s steamy Philip Roth adaptation “Deception” (playing outside competition), and then lastly, the film you’re here for, Bruno Dumont’s “France.” The Cannes Film Fest website doesn’t have much to say about the film, “France is all at once the portrayal of an anchorwoman, of a country, and of the media,” is all it has for a logline, but there’s more from the past.

Originally titled “On A Half Clear Morning,” it was reported that Seydoux was playing a celebrity journalist juggling her busy career and personal life, but whose life is overturned by a freak car accident. It sounds like a moment of truth, a moment of clarity-type film where near-death awakens someone to their lives (though by the looks of the trailer, it’s also the dark scenario where she becomes the story).

The film also stars Blanche Gardin, Benjamin Biolay, Emanuele Arioli, Juliane Köhler, Gaëtan Amiel, Jewad Zemmar and Marc Bettinelli.

It was also recently reported that Seydoux caught COVID-19 and may not be able to appear at the festival, which would be such a shame for the Palme d’Or-winning actress of “Blue Is The Warmest Color.” If she doesn’t make it, hopefully, all the praise that’s likely coming softens the disappointing blow.

“France” is scheduled to be released in France on 25 August 2021 by ARP Selection but will need firm distribution in the U.S. before it has a North American release date. That’ll surely come soon, sometime after its premiere this week, but in the meantime, you can get a taste of the film with its new trailer. It’s French-only with no English subtitles, but we’ll switch it out when one arrives; plus, look, you’ll get the gist of it.