''Mauvais Sang'' (, ''Bad Blood''), also known as ''The Night Is Young'', is

Leos Carax Alex Christophe Dupont (born 22 November 1960), best known as Leos Carax (), is a French film director, critic and writer. Carax is noted for his poetic style and his tortured depictions of love. His first major work was ''Boy Meets Girl (1984 f ...

's second film. Released in 1986, the film played at the

37th Berlin International Film Festival The 37th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 20 February to 3 March 1987. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Soviet Union film ''Tema'' directed by Gleb Panfilov. The retrospective was in honour of Armenian-American film and ...

before being nominated for three

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

and winning the

Prix Louis-Delluc The Louis Delluc Prize (french: Prix Louis-Delluc ) is a French film award presented annually since 1937. The award is bestowed to the Best Film and Best First Film of the year on the second week of each December. The jury is composed of 20 members, ...

. The film sold 504,803 tickets in France. The title refers to

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he starte ...

's eponymous poem in ''

A Season in Hell ''A Season in Hell'' (french: Une Saison en Enfer}) is an extended poem in prose written and published in 1873 by French writer Arthur Rimbaud. It is the only work that was published by Rimbaud himself. The book had a considerable influence ...

''. In the movie, a sexually transmitted disease called STBO is sweeping the country; it spreads by sex without emotional involvement, and most of its victims are young people who have sex out of curiosity rather than commitment. A woman hires two men to steal the serum, which has been locked away in a pharmaceutical company's offices.

Plot

In the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

of the not-too-distant future, a mysterious disease, STBO, is killing people who have sex without emotional involvement. A serum has been developed, but it is locked away out of the reach of those who need it. An American woman blackmails two aging crooks, Marc and Hans, into stealing it. Marc recruits Alex, a rebellious teenager whose father worked for him before his death. Alex has a girlfriend, Lise, but falls for Marc's lover, Anna.

Cast

Production

Julie Delpy Julie Delpy (; born 21 December 1969) is a French-American actress, film director, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She studied filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, includi ...

has said she came out of filming this movie traumatized: "It was a very difficult shoot. I had a motorcycle accident. In order to make the insurance work, I wasn't taken to the doctor right away. As a result, my leg became gangrenous—one more day and it was amputation. Moreover Leos Carax was not easy. The actress was not easy either."

Accolades

;

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

1987 * Nominated for Golden Bear Award * Winner of

Alfred Bauer Prize The Alfred Bauer Prize was an annual film award, presented by the Berlin International Film Festival, as part of its Silver Bear series of awards, to a film that "opens new perspectives on cinematic art". The prize was suspended in 2020 after it w ...

* Winner of C.I.C.A.E. Award ;

1987 * Nominated for Best Actress - Juliette Binoche * Most Promising Actress - Julie Delpy * Nominated for Best Cinematography - Jean-Yves Escoffier ;

Louis Delluc Prize The Louis Delluc Prize (french: Prix Louis-Delluc ) is a French film award presented annually since 1937. The award is bestowed to the Best Film and Best First Film of the year on the second week of each December. The jury is composed of 20 members, ...

1986 * Best Film

Production

Christian Faure was the assistant director of the movie.

References

External links

* 1986 films 1980s crime films French crime films 1980s French-language films Films directed by Leos Carax Louis Delluc Prize winners Fiction about Halley's Comet 1980s French films {{1980s-crime-film-stub