Set in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France, THE WORST ONES captures a film within a film as it follows the production of a feature whose director turns to the local Cité Picasso housing project for casting. Eager to capture performances of gritty authenticity, the director selects four working class teenagers to act in the film to the surprise and consternation of the local community, who question the director’s choice of “the worst ones.” As the director and crew audition, rehearse, film and interact with their hand-picked cast, jealousies are stoked, lines are crossed, and ethical questions arise, with thought-provoking and at times darkly funny results. Winner of the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, THE WORST ONES announces directors Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret as exciting new voices in French cinema.
“A lively, spiky and elastically metatextual debut feature.” —Guy Lodge, Variety “An audacious manipulation of audience expectation. There’s a fascinating push-pull at the film’s core that draws one in even as it fosters critical distance. Its unique strategy creates both a verité intimacy and a dramatic flair…. Almost in contrast to these lofty ideals, THE WORST ONES also has a genuine tenderness for its subjects, offering a poignant study of humanity.” —Barbara Gowlawski, POV Magazine
