The Worst Ones Review: A French Movie Digging Deep On Child Actors, Class, and Exploitation in Film
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Loading... - Cecile Sanchez
- 23 Mar 2023
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In The Worst Ones, a group of children in a working class town are selected to be in a movie.
The film industry, whether it is in the United States or Europe, does not have the greatest track record when it comes to taking care of its actors, especially when they are children. Whether it is the Golden Age of Hollywood or the rise of child star shows on family networks in the 2000s, stories about the impacts of the industry on children as they grow up have been far too common. Growing up in such an environment has completely changed some children, leaving them far worse than if they had never stepped foot on a movie set. One new French movie is tackling this subject matter and won one of the biggest awards at the Cannes Film Festival because of it: The Worst Ones, or, as it is known in French, Les Pires.
Directed by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, The Worst Ones draws from their experiences working behind the scenes in casting and the film industry. The duo has previously collaborated on a short film that would create the basis for The Worst Ones, as it was also about casting in the movie industry. The Worst Ones would have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022, where it surprisingly took home the Un Certain Regard award, which typically goes to movies that tell non-traditional stories with a global, universal scope. Now, in 2023, the film is getting a broader release in North America, starting with New York City and Los Angeles. Even though the movie takes place in France, its themes and messages can go across industries and borders.
Staying true to its subject, The Worst Ones utilizes largely nonprofessional and child actors. The short film the directors previously collaborated on, “Chasse Royale,” fleshed out the foundations of what The Worst Ones could be, allowing the full-length several years to be developed, cast, and workshopped in northern France. The movie plays around with witty humor to offer insights into how people cope in these situations, especially the young children and adults thrust onto a film set for the first time. But when approaching a movie like this, it may be beneficial to remember where fiction meets reality, especially when it balances documentary tactics with the standard drama plot lines. Read More…
