Sept jours ailleurs

The young composer Jacques find himself suffocating in his social and family life. He jumps at the opportunity to get out of Paris when he is offered the chance to perform the music for a traveling dance troupe. As he tries to take stock of his unsatisfied life, he meets one of the dancers, Catherine, who is also going through a personal crisis of sorts. They take solace in each other and a affair soon blooms. However, what of his wife and daughter back home? Is this really the life Jacques has been looking for?

Marin Karmitz’s debut full length feature is an insightful piece, which explores the intricacies of human nature. Without judgment, he evinces his characters’ flaws, fears and anxieties, who live in a world which doesn’t make as much sense as we are told. Although not as political as his next two films directly inspired by the May ‘68 demonstrations (Camarades and Coup pour coup also playing on Cinémoi), Karmitz’s film in nonetheless a poignant social commentary of the time. In addition, the communal and energetic spirit of the sixties infects the cluttered group scenes, as the troupe bustle through hotel rooms, train compartments and dressing rooms to performances.

This is a rare chance to catch the directorial output of one of the most pivotal producers and distributors in French cinema.