IFI School Screening
The Fantastic Three
We are screening The Fantastic Three/Les Trois Fantastiques in association with the IFI Schools Programme. There is a studyguide available with thanks to the French Cultural Institute and Alliance Francais on the IFI website. This screening is open to schools only. If you are a teacher and would like to book please contact info@mermaidartscentre.ie or call Box Office on 01 272 4030. See all school screenings here.
About the Film:
Max is a witty and brave 12-year-old, feels like he has two families instead of one. In and after school, he spends all his time with his two best friends Tom and Vivian, who are always there to make life easier for each other. Together, they are The Fantastic Three.
His real family on the other hand, is bit messier, he lives with his single mother and has one brother who’s recently been released on parole from prison. His brothers under strict instructions to stay in set area and out of trouble. Max believes that things will return to normal.However, his brother has other plans at play, to save his brother from his own downfall, Max drags his friends with him into a seemingly inevitable spiral.
Theme of friendship and family:
Throughout the film you see Max grappling with his two families of friends and home family. Inseparable, the three friends live in a small working-class town in the. Together they navigate life's ups and downs. The script and the three boys acting gives a familiar feel to the film of other films such as Stand By Me, The Lost Boys or The Goonies. The film is excellently acted by the three young actors with a beautiful script the three are the heart of this film about young teen boys on cusp of adulthood.
Social Media:
Another strong theme in the film is the theme of social media and peer pressure. Throughout the film you’ll see how the Fantastic Three react and respond to their surroundings and environments eventually one small lapse in judgement sees the entry school community caught up in the drama.
Ardennes/Community:
The community and town in the film is a small local community in the north of the country suffering massive change following deindustrialization. When the film opens it’s the start of summer, Pollux, the town's last factory, is preparing to close its doors, despite a strike by the workers and protests from the majority of the town. The boys reference the factory, and its impact on their parents and the wider community. Viv’s mother, who is part of the strike.
The director was very passionate about the Ardennes region, praising the people in the area he said ‘the people who live there have a fighting and generous soul’ and commenting on their situation such as the deindustrialization in the film he says its an area ‘left behind’ but
‘A city like Revin had up to 12,000 inhabitants at the end of the 1960s. There are barely more than 5,000 left today. Almost two out of three neighbours are no longer there. Those who stayed were very marked by these departures’
Director:
Michaël Dichter is a young director with an atypical background: he has self-produced and directed three short films and acted in two feature films before working on this film The Fantastic Three which his first feature film.
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