Top 100 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2017: #13. Helene Cattet & Bruno Forzani’s Let the Bodies Sunbathe!

Let the Bodies Sunbathe!

Director: Helene Cattet, Bruno Forzani
Writer: Helene Cattet, Bruno Forzani

We’ve been tracking this latest project from Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani since it was announced in late 2013. The Belgian ‘neo-giallists’ are known for their 2009 debut Amer and its delectable 2013 follow-up The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears. Their latest is an adaptation of Patrick Menchette’s 1971 novel Laissez Bronzer Les Cadavres (which was co-written by Jean-Pierre Bastid), a noir Western which sounds to be a departure from their usual genre interests. Excitingly, this will be lensed by DP Manu Dacosse, who collaborated with them on their last venture, and recently some superb work by Fabrice du Welz (Alleluia, 2014) and Lucile Hadzhalilovic (Evolution, 2015) and is headlined by notable actor Elina Lowensohn (who has starred in myriad of auteur projects, including for Jeunet, Hartley, Spielberg, Hausner, Grandrieux, among others). This film concerns a middle-aged painter who lives in a small rural area in southern France with a penchant for summer guests. This particular summer, she’s entertaining her ex-lover, plus her new beau and three of his friends. But when these three friends rob an armored truck and escape with a passel of gold, they expect to remain holed up at her home.

Cast: Elina Lowensohn, Stephane Ferrara, Herve Sogne

Production Co./Producer(s): Unkown

U.S. Distributor: Rights available.

Release Date: Cattet & Forzani snagged a Locarno berth for 2013’s The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears. Logically, they could return here, but we’re thinking they will appear elsewhere. The project has been in post since July 2016, so Berlin might be too close to qualify. Our bets are on a slot in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes 2017.

[related]Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2017[/related]