Carax’s dazzling second feature, Mauvais Sang (meaning Bad Blood) brought Carax to international attention and became ‘the film’ for a new generation of cinema-lovers. It’s the story of a heist set in a not-so-distant future where humanity is plagued by the virus STBO (evoking the AIDS virus) which kills those who make love without being in love. Two rival gangs fight over the serum. Shot on studio sets, Carax’s aesthetic of bold primary colours references Godard, while an atmosphere of melancholy and innocence echoes Chaplin and silent cinema. And there’s the ecstatic energy and youth of the beautiful duo of Denis Lavant (Carax’s cinematic double) and Juliette Binoche.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with Leos Carax, hosted by Dr. Tony Tracy, Director of the Huston School of Film & Digital Media, University of Galway. Among his publications are White House White Cottage: Irish American Masculinities in Hollywood Cinema (SUNY 2022) and Ageing Masculinities in European and Anglophone Cinemas (Routledge, 2022).

Notes by Marie-Pierre Richard

Screening as part of the IFI French Film Festival, November 15 – 26.