Keswick Film Club - The Big Hit

Synopsis

"Emmanuel Courcol channels the feel-good energy of films like 'The Full Monty' for his latest, which fictionalises the true story of Swedish actor Jan Jönson's attempt to help prisoners stage a version of Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting For Godot'.

Transporting the action to France, versatile star Kad Merat takes on the role of Étienne Carboni, an actor whose dreams of becoming a household name have remained just that. Étienne's latest project sees him venture inside the walls of a prison to provide theatre workshops for the inmates. It is here that he becomes inspired to try to stage Beckett's absurdist classic - after all, he reasons, few are more familiar with the concept of waiting in the same place and performing the same rituals day after day than prisoners" – Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film.

So a French comedy drama, with director Emmanuel Corcol following the prisoners as they gradually gain interest in the play and confidence in their own ability. As Chris Knight says in the National Post "it's a fun performance to watch, and you don't even need to be well versed in Beckett to have a good time".