Chrysalis (film)

Chrysalis is a French science fiction film directed by Julien Leclercq and starring Albert Dupontel. The film was commercially released in France on 31 October 2007.

Premise

In 2025 in Paris, police lieutenant David Hoffman investigates the circumstances behind the body of a young girl who has scars around her eyes. Hoffman finds a link between the murder and smuggler Dimitri Nicolov, who is blamed by the lieutenant for the death of Hoffman's wife. Hoffman's investigation leads him to a state-of-the-art plastic surgery clinic whose goal is to go beyond skin and flesh to shape memory and identity.

Cast

• Albert Dupontel as David Hoffman, a police lieutenant
• Estelle Lefébure
• Marie Guillard
• Marthe Keller as Professor Brügen, who runs a state-of-the-art plastic surgery clinic
• Mélanie Thierry as Manon, a captive patient at the clinic
• Alain Figlarz as Dimitri Nicolov, a smuggler

Production

Chrysalis is the first feature film directed by French filmmaker Julien Leclercq. The film continues a contemporary cyberpunk trend in French cinema, following Enki Bilal's Immortal (2004) and Christian Volckman's Renaissance (2006). Chrysalis incorporates film noir and is influenced by Franco-Belgian comics. The film is considered a homage to Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face (1960).^[1]

Release

Chrysalis premiered at the French film festival Lille La Nuit on 25 June 2007.^[2] The film later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007.^[1] It will be commercially distributed in France in 31 October 2007.

References

External links

• Official website (in French)
• Teaser trailer
• "Making of" video
• Film review at Variety
• Chrysalis at the Internet Movie Database