35 rhums

35 Shots of Rum | 35 Rum
Lionel, a train driver from a Parisian suburb, has devoted his life to looking after his daughter. He knows that Joséphine is now old enough to stand on her own two feet, but he is attached to her, and Joséphine does not seem ready to give up the security of life at home either. One of their neighbours is taxi driver Gabrielle, whose tentative efforts to make friends with father and daughter meet with little encouragement; another is Noé, who keeps his apartment exactly as it was when he inherited it from his late parents.
In her film, Claire Denis relates everyday things: Lionel’s colleague René’s retirement, the death of Noé's cat. The quiet nuances make it palpable that it’s time for all these people to let go: Lionel must relinquish his daughter; Joséphine must leave her warm nest; and Noé must shake off his past. But it is René, who has always lived for his work, who perhaps dares to take the most drastic step.
by Claire Denis
with Alex Descas, Mati Diop, Nicole Dogué, Grégoire Colin, Ingrid Caven, Jean-Christophe Folly
France / Germany 2008 French 100’ Colour Rating R6

With

  • Alex Descas (Lionel)
  • Mati Diop (Joséphine)
  • Nicole Dogué (Gabrielle)
  • Grégoire Colin (Noé)
  • Ingrid Caven (aunt)
  • Jean-Christophe Folly (Ruben)

Crew

Director Claire Denis
Screenplay Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau
Cinematography Agnès Godard
Montage Guy Lecorne
Music Tindersticks
Sound Design Christophe Winding, Josephina Rodríguez, Dominique Hennequin
Sound Martin Boissau
Production Design Arnaud De Moleron
Costumes Judy Shrewsbury
Make-Up Danièle Vuarin
Casting Nicolas Ronchi
Assistant Director Pierre Senelas
Production Managers Benoît Pilot, Angela Krabbe
Producer Bruno Pesery
Co-Production Pandora Film Produktion Köln

Produced by

Soudaine Compagnie

Claire Denis

Born in Paris, France, the director and screenwriter lived in a number of African countries until the age of 12. She studied at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques where she met cinematographer Agnès Godard, with whom she would later collaborate on the majority of her films. She began her film career as an assistant to directors including Robert Enrico, Wim Wenders, Costa-Gavras, Jacques Rivette and Jim Jarmusch. Her films Man no run, Beau travail and Vers Mathilde screened in the Berlinale Forum. In 2020, she was invited to the Berlinale as part of the On Transmission series.

Filmography (selection)

1988 Chocolat 1989 Man no run 1990 S’en fout la mort (No Fear, No Die) 1995 À propos de Nice 1996 Nenette and Boni 1999 Beau travail 2001 Trouble Every Day 2002 Friday Night 2005 The Intruder · Vers Mathilde (Towards Mathilde) 2008 35 rhums (35 Shots of Rum) 2010 White Material 2013 Bastards · Un beau soleil intérieur (Let the Sunshine In) 2018 High Life 2021 Avec amour et acharnement (Both Sides of the Blade)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2022