Bernie Noël is twenty-nine years old and has spent his whole life in an orphanage on the outskirts of Paris, where he was found in a rubbish bin when he was only a few weeks old. When he reaches that age he decides to leave and face a world he knows mostly from television and from what his friends have told him. Alone, he roams a hostile Paris by night in search of his parents, through a string of clumsy and frenetic adventures.

How it was made

Albert Dupontel directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Gilles Laurent, also playing the title role. The producers were Jean-Michel Rey and Philippe Liégeois, with music by Ramon Pipin and cinematography by Guillaume Schiffman. The cast includes Éric Elmosnino, Claude Perron, Lucia Sanchez and Michel Vuillermoz, among others. The hero's first name comes from the janitor who found him, and his surname refers to the time of year when he was discovered.

Reception and legacy

The film received a nomination for the César Award for Best First Feature Film at the 22nd César Awards. Its blend of comedy and drama, centred on a bewildered protagonist who unsettles everyone he meets, makes it a distinctive debut within late-1990s French cinema.

Stills

Trivia

Origin of the name

The hero takes his first name from Bernie, the building's janitor who found him, and his surname, Noël, from the time of year when he was discovered.

A janitor played by Paul Le Person

The janitor who gives the hero his name is played on screen by Paul Le Person.

More films by Albert Dupontel

Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.