CASH/GOLD BRICK
France, 2023, 95 minutes, Colour.
Raphael Quenard, Igor Gotesman, Agathe Rousselle, Antoine Gouy, Nina Meurisse, Gregoire Colin, Yourssef Hajdi.
Directed by Jeremy Rozan.
The title tells all – cash as the overall theme. It is however the schemes to make money are carried out that keeps audience attention.
This is a French film, the setting the city of Chartres with its famous Cathedral, but a provincial town, dominated by a wealthy family and its company, dedicated to receiving perfumes from all over the world, packaging them and distributing them. At the centre is a young man from a working family, Daniel, who narrates the film. Glimpses of him as a child, at school with the son of the wealthy family, but relying on his best friend for support. Later, they set up a company for delivering packages but fall foul of the domination of the family’s industry in the town. Eventually, both friends work for the company.
But, Daniel is shrewd, concocts a method of taking some packages, the gold bricks of the title, from containers, innocently taking out the rubbish which contains the stolen packages, selling them online. Eventually, the police come investigating, Daniel denying that he has a computer, but going to some local distributors and doing a deal with them. Daniel prospers. Enter the female lead, Virginie, who works for the firm, but is not listened to in board meetings. A chance encounter with Daniel leads to further meetings, her resentment against the head of the firm, and quite a collaboration in stealing the perfumes and marketing them, leading to the employment of 10 of the workers in the factory to provide a streamlined method for stealing, concealing, getting the material out of the factory, storing it, distributing it…
There are complications because an online entrepreneur, selling perfumes, wants to buy the company. The son of the founder is not really interested in the company, is shown that his wife is having an affair with the entrepreneur, discovers that the perfumes are being stolen, arranges meetings so that he can get revenge on the entrepreneur, get a good price for his company… So, the film shows the elaborate method for stealing the perfumes, storing them, their being stolen by the thieves contributing to the deal – and a revenge by substituting a lot of the perfumes with water to the discredit of the entrepreneur when he buys the business.
Romance between Virginie and Daniel, and his getting enough money in order to buy the firm eventually. Will somebody do the same thing when he is the owner!
1. The title, the French title using English and the focus on money, lots of money, in hand? The English title and the focus on the boxes of perfume?
2. The French setting, the city of Chartres, homes, hotels, mansions, the factory and detail? The musical score?
3. A variation on a heist film, planning and plots, achievement, further complexities?
4. Daniel, his narration, living in Chartres, his mother wanting a view of the cathedral, the company and the town, everybody employed, Daniel at school, resentment towards Patrick, resentment towards the family and easy money, owning the town, everybody working for the family? His friend Scania? The decision to have their own company, financial difficulties, forced to the factory? Scania, getting the job, the foreman and the money deal? The job in the factory, the perfumes coming, their being packaged and sent out?
5. Daniel, shrewdness, ambitions, money, his plan for the perfumes, taking the boxes, taking them out in the garbage, recovering them, selling them online? The investigation by the police, his denial of having a computer? With Scania, going to the local dealers, their sales at the markets, the profits? Ambitions, growing his scam?
6. Virginie, Daniel and his encounter, at the restaurant, later discovering who she was, her relationship with Patrick, his taking over after his father’s death? The board meetings, her point of view, not accepted? Confronting Patrick, feeling her life was being wasted? The dinner with Daniel, her drinking, wanting revenge, Daniel and his plan, her participating? Her being the mastermind along with Daniel?
7. The developments, the recruiting of all the team, the characters, explanations of their work, seeing them in action, the detail? The scheme for taking the boxes, the storage, the storage for the money, Friday nights and the distribution of the money, the various extravagances of the group?
8. Brice, his online selling of perfumes, wanting to take over the company, his offers, information about the stealing, wanting to get the company a bargain rates? Employing And, the clash, Ange and his dealing with Patrick, the information about Brice and his wife, sending photos? Ange being employed, and emergency, becoming part of the group, spying?
9. The plan with the insurance, the trucks, Patrick and the discussions with Daniel, the various schemes? The heist being put into practice, the trucks, the takeover of the trucks, the storing of the perfumes? Ange, the photos, the tracks running him down, his escape, the farm with the gun, his death?
10. The visualising of the plans, then their execution, the watering down of the perfumes, Brice paying for the company, Patrick taking the money, Brice and his downfall, and Daniel planning to build up his finance and by the company? And with Virginie?
