Slack Bay

Watch Slack Bay

  • NR
  • 2016
  • 2 hr 2 min
  • 6.1  (4,829)
  • 66

Slack Bay is a darkly comedic film from French director Bruno Dumont, released in 2016. The film stars Fabrice Luchini, Juliette Binoche, and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, among others. The story is set in the summer of 1910, in the northern French region of Slack Bay. At this time, the wealthy bourgeois families of Paris would flock to Slack Bay for their summer vacations, hoping to escape the heat and enjoy the fresh sea air. Slack Bay is known for its natural beauty and for the abundance of seafood that can be found in its waters.

The film opens with a shot of three men making their way through the shallow waters of Slack Bay. They are digging in the sand, looking for something - what it is, we do not yet know. These men turn out to be part of a family of fishermen, the Bruforts, who have been living and working in Slack Bay for generations. They are poor and uneducated, and they speak in a dialect that is difficult for outsiders to understand. They share the beach with the wealthy families who are visiting for the summer, but they do not interact with them much - the class divide is too great.

The main plot of the film revolves around one of these wealthy families: the Van Peteghems, who are staying in a large mansion overlooking the bay. The Van Peteghems are absurd and grotesque, caricatures of the bourgeoisie. The patriarch, André (played by Luchini), is obsessed with his own lineage and with the idea of purity of blood. He is a man of science, and he considers the people of Slack Bay to be a different species from himself. His wife, Isabelle (played by Binoche), is equally ridiculous, prancing around in flamboyant outfits and trying to impress everyone with her supposed sophistication. They are accompanied by their daughter Billie (played by Raph), who is more down-to-earth and open-minded than her parents.

The Van Peteghems are not the only wealthy family in town. Another family, the Bréforts, are also there for the summer. The Bréforts are the polar opposite of the Van Peteghems - they are uncouth and vulgar, and their behavior is often shocking. The matriarch, Madame Bréfort (played by Bruni Tedeschi), is a strange and unpredictable woman, prone to bursts of emotion and sudden outbursts of violence. She is accompanied by her son Ma Loute (played by Brandon Lavieville), who is handsome but simple-minded, and her niece, Aude (played by Hélène Vincent), who is in love with Ma Loute.

As the film progresses, we see the two families interact in various ways. André becomes obsessed with Billie, and he starts to see her as a potential wife for his own son. Madame Bréfort, meanwhile, becomes convinced that the Van Peteghems are hiding something and starts investigating them with the help of her son and his friends. All along, the Bruforts keep fishing and digging in the sand, seemingly unaware of the strange events happening around them.

Slack Bay is a strange and surreal film, full of strange imagery and bizarre humor. The cinematography is stunning, with beautiful shots of the beach and the sea. The performances are all excellent, particularly those of Luchini and Bruni Tedeschi, who both fully embrace the absurdity of their roles. The film is also a biting satire of the bourgeoisie and their obsession with propriety and lineage. It highlights the class divide that exists in society and shows how it can lead to absurdity and violence.

Overall, Slack Bay is a strange and surreal film that is not for everyone. It is full of strange and often grotesque characters, and its humor is both dark and absurd. However, for those who are willing to embrace its weirdness, it is a thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking film.

Slack Bay is a 2016 comedy with a runtime of 2 hours and 2 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.1 and a MetaScore of 66.

Slack Bay
Description
Where to Watch Slack Bay
Slack Bay is available to watch free on Kanopy. It's also available to stream, download and buy on demand at Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube VOD and Vudu. Some platforms allow you to rent Slack Bay for a limited time or purchase the movie and download it to your device.
  • Release Date
    2016
  • MPAA Rating
    NR
  • Runtime
    2 hr 2 min
  • Language
    French
  • IMDB Rating
    6.1  (4,829)
  • Metascore
    66