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★★★★
Directed by: #AustinHillebrecht, #SeanParker
Written by: Austin Hillebrecht, Sean Parker
Starring: #AustinHillebrecht, #CoreyBrunish, #DavidLoftus, #DennisFitzpatrick, #TomWalton, #NomiSumma, #MichelleDamis,
Indie film Coup de Cinema, from #filmmakers Austin Hillebrecht and Sean Parker, feels a little like if The Room were a heist movie. A plucky story of one man's dream to get a movie made, even if he has to steal it from underneath another director.
Miles (Hillebrecht) reaches his breaking point applying to (and being rejected from) countless production companies, desperately looking for a chance to be in the movie business. After shoehorning himself in at a mysterious company called Bourgeois Pictures, Miles thinks his troubles are over when he blags a job as a production assistant. However, he soon realises that a role as part of the crew is not enough, especially when the output of the studio is as turgid as the movies being released by Bourgeois. Taking matters into his own hands, Miles becomes the ringleader of a cinematic coup whereby the rest of the jaded filmmaking cast and crew help him make a better film on the sly.
Valiant and stout of heart, Coup de Cinema is a love letter to the art of film. By exploring so many facets of the process and using a warts and all approach, the filmmakers are keen to shed light on the arduous journey that is making a movie. The major theme running through the piece is the friction between film as an artform and film as a business and the unhappy coexistence they endure. So many of the men and women working on the latest schlock piece for the production company have lost their passion for filmmaking, doing the bare minimum to get the movie made rather than taking risks and pushing the envelope. Most are simply concerned with where they can get the best wifi.
From a production value perspective, Coup de Cinema is scrappy but enjoyable. Fun flavour is injected wherever possible yet the piece never forgets to tell its story. Some sequences are action packed, others are intelligently blocked, such as Miles distracting the film's original director (Corey Brunish) whilst the rest of the crew shoot a different film behind his back.
The performances are all very strong. This doesn't feel like amateur hour and that is most likely because the script has a truth to it that never strays. Hillebrecht is a great lead, we fully believe Miles's drive to make a good film, especially when he takes anti-heroic measures to get it done. Some parts are indulgent, such as the super technical references to cameras or shutter speed which are only going to land with those who make movies. However, the majority of the film is filled with an amusing and diverting plot that contains some impressive turns from a great cast.
Watch the official movie trailer below.
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