Going Places

Two young men drift around France, stealing cars and harassing everyone they meet. A woman joins them and the journey continues. The film neither punishes nor justifies the pair; the narrative simply leaves them to themselves, and that is where the discomfort comes from. It was read as a harsh comment on what the idea of freedom had become in early nineteen-seventies France, though the film never says so itself. Bertrand Blier wrote and directed. It launched Gerard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere, with Jeanne Moreau and Miou-Miou in the cast. A real warning: the film contains repeated sexual violence, harassment and scenes involving a minor. It was argued over on release and lands far harder now. It also falls under the caution for viewers who avoid Depardieu's films because of the sexual assault case against him.