Babysitting
2014 · Directed by Nicolas Benamou, Philippe Lacheau
Original language: French
- comedy
The story
Looking for a baby-sitter for the night, Marc Schaudel entrusts his son Remy to the care of his employee Franck, a straight man. But the thing that Marc doesn't know, is that Franck is getting 30 years old this weekend and that his son Remy is a very capricious child. The next day, Marc and his wife Claire are awakened by a call from the police. Remy and Franck are missing, and the house is totally devastated. The police finds a camera in the leftovers. Marc, Claire and the police start watching the video that has been recorded the day before during the night and find out what happened to Franck and Remy.
What it’s like
Shot as found footage, so the frame is handheld, jittery, and often lit by the harsh, flat glare of a cheap camcorder and the blue wash of a phone screen in a dim party house. The camera stays close to the chaos: wobbling pans across a living room, abrupt zooms, lens smudges and the grain of low-light digital video. Sound is loose and overlapping, with shouted banter, thumping party music, and the clatter of things breaking. The vibe is raucous, sleepless and absurd, a hangover comedy that snowballs one bad decision at a time. It suits a loud Saturday night with friends, a group watch, or a silly late-night laugh when you want something lively rather than soothing. The rhythm is fast and escalating, with gags built on timing and reaction shots. The emotional register is broad and cheerful, centred on a reluctant grown man and a mischievous small boy whose mayhem gradually forces the adults into partnership. Intensity is moderate: slapstick mess, some crude humour and sexual jokes, plenty of property damage, and no real gore or cruelty. For viewers who like chaotic, improvised-feeling comedy and don't mind a rowdy, profane edge.
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