''Comment c'est loin'' is a 2015 French quasi-
autobiographical
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
musical comedy-drama film
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
written by French rapper
Orelsan and directed by Orelsan and Christophe Offenstein. The film stars Orelsan and fellow French rapper
Gringe
Guillaume Tranchant (; born 20 February 1980), better known by his stage name Gringe (), is a French rapper, songwriter and actor. He is one half of the French hip hop duo Casseurs Flowters, along with Orelsan, with whom he has released two studio ...
, both of whom form the rap duo
Casseurs Flowters, and is based on their debut studio album ''
Orelsan et Gringe sont les Casseurs Flowters
''Orelsan et Gringe sont les Casseurs Flowters'' is the debut studio album by Casseurs Flowters, a French hip hop duo consisting of rappers Orelsan and Gringe. It was released on 15 November 2013 by 7th Magnitude and Wagram Music in France and ...
'', which was released on 15 November 2013.
The film is set over a 24-hour period in the city of
Caen,
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, and follows Aurélien, known as Orel (Orelsan, as he was formerly known), and Guillaume, known as Gringe (himself). They seek to finish recording their first song together at the request of their producers
Skread
Matthieu Le Carpentier (; born on September 22, 1981 in Hérouville-Saint-Clair), known professionally as Skread (), is a French hip hop record producer and composer. He is the co-founder in 2006 of the record label 7th Magnitude, with his partn ...
(himself) and
Ablaye (himself), but struggle to do so as they wander around the town with friends looking for quick ways to make money and a good time.
''Comment c'est loin'' was premiered at the Saint-Jean-de-Luz International Film Festival on 10 October 2015, as well as being shown at the Sarlat Film Festival on 13 November 2015, before being released to the French public on 9 December 2015. The film has received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, and grossed $1,001,196 in the domestic box office within its first three weeks.
Synopsis
After half a decade of doing next to nothing, Orelsan and Gringe are in their mid-thirties as they struggle to complete their first
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
album. Their songs are mostly stories of sex and alcohol, reflecting their everyday lives in the city of
Caen. They have never really finished a song and when they meet with their producers, they are faced with a new challenge. Their old issues, the fear of failure, their alcoholic friends and annoying girlfriends serve to stand in their way as they set out to finish their first song within the next 24 hours.
Cast
*
Orelsan as Aurélien "Orel" Cotentin (himself)
*
Gringe
Guillaume Tranchant (; born 20 February 1980), better known by his stage name Gringe (), is a French rapper, songwriter and actor. He is one half of the French hip hop duo Casseurs Flowters, along with Orelsan, with whom he has released two studio ...
as Guillaume "Gringe" Tranchant (himself)
* Seydou Doucouré as Bouteille
* Claude Urbiztondo-Llarch as Claude (himself)
*
Ablaye as Abdoulaye "Ablaye" Doucouré (himself)
*
Skread
Matthieu Le Carpentier (; born on September 22, 1981 in Hérouville-Saint-Clair), known professionally as Skread (), is a French hip hop record producer and composer. He is the co-founder in 2006 of the record label 7th Magnitude, with his partn ...
as Matthieu "Skread" Le Carpentier (himself)
* Sophie de Fürst as Pauline
* Chloé Astor as Arielle
* Redouanne Harjane as the fan
* Marc Brunet as Aurélien's father
* Jeannine Cotentin as Aurélien's grandmother (herself)
* Isabelle Alfred as Arielle's mother
* Alain Dion as Arielle's father
* France Hofnung as Marie
* Clément Cotentin as the local radio DJ
* Paul Minthe as the hotel manager
* Marine Forster Bourdin as the schools inspector
Production
Filming
''Comment c'est loin'' was filmed on location in the city of
Caen,
Lower Normandy
Lower Normandy (french: Basse-Normandie, ; nrf, Basse-Normaundie) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Lower and Upper Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy.
Geography
The region included three departme ...
, where Orelsan went to college and met record producer
Skread
Matthieu Le Carpentier (; born on September 22, 1981 in Hérouville-Saint-Clair), known professionally as Skread (), is a French hip hop record producer and composer. He is the co-founder in 2006 of the record label 7th Magnitude, with his partn ...
, one of the film's other composers. Orelsan announced the beginning of production on his
Instagram page on 21 March 2015, posting a picture of a copy of the film's script with the working title ''Orel et Gringe'' (''Orel and Gringe''). He posted another picture on 4 May, this time of himself next to Gringe, presumably during a certain scene in the film, announcing in the caption that filming was complete and confirming the film's title as ''Comment c'est loin''.
Music
The
musical score for the film was composed by Alexis Rault, while the soundtrack featured new songs from Casseurs Flowters and produced by Skread. The soundtrack album, which also acts as Casseurs Flowters' second studio album, was released in France along with the film on 9 December 2015. It peaked at number 24 on the French Albums Chart, at number 61 on the Belgian
Ultratop
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization ...
Albums Chart (Wallonia) and at number 83 on the
Swiss Hitparade Albums Chart.
In April 2017, the album was certified platinum in France.
References
External links
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{{Orelsan
2015 films
2015 comedy films
2010s biographical films
French comedy films
French biographical films
2010s French-language films
Film spin-offs
Films about entertainers
Films about families
Films directed by Orelsan
Films set in 2013
Films set in Caen
Films shot in Normandy
2010s French films