Comment c'est loin

A French comedy set in Caen. Two friends make rap. They have worked for years in the same room on the same computer and nothing gets finished. They keep finding ideas, keep putting things off, and no track is ever completed. One day they make a bet: a track will be finished within a week. If it is not, both will give up music. The film covers that week. Hours in the studio, wasted days, arguments, people they know in the neighbourhood and other things constantly getting in the way. What the narrative is interested in is not inspiration but idleness and fear: both are wary of finishing, because once it is finished they will be judged. The humour comes entirely from talk. The two spar constantly and much of the dialogue is improvised. Orelsan and Gringe are in the cast; both make music in life and play characters close to themselves. They wrote the screenplay as well. Christophe Offenstein directed. The city stands in the background throughout: the streets of Caen, the housing blocks and views at night. An interesting production for anyone curious about French rap culture and comedies about friendship. For a viewer watching with subtitles, much of the slang and wordplay is lost. Who it is for: anyone who likes loose comedy built on creative block. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a structured narrative; the film is deliberately scattered and its plot is weak.