The Fall of the American Empire by Denys Arcand
Ivan Magrin-Chagnolleau
The Power of Money
The Fall of the American Empire, Denys Arcand’s new feature film, is a film about the power of money. Originally conceived as a film independent of its predecessors, and intended to have the more explicit title The Triumph of Money, it was during editing that the director noted significant parallels with The Decline of the American Empire (which primarily explored sexuality) and The Barbarian Invasions (which explored the theme of death).
This new installment, which now forms the third part of a series, has a lighter tone than its predecessors, yet contains a much greater dose of cynicism. According to Denys Arcand, money has triumphed over everything and has become king. The film tells the story of Pierre-Paul (Alexandre Landry), a doctor of philosophy who chose a job as a delivery driver over teaching philosophy at the university because it pays better, and who finds himself by chance in possession of two large bags filled with cash. He just happened to be there at the right time, witnessed a robbery gone wrong, and found himself with the two bags literally at his feet.
He then teams up with a call girl, Aspasie (the stunning Maripier Morin), whom he immediately calls to start enjoying his new windfall, and with Sylvain Bigras (Rémy Girard with long hair!), a recently released convict who learned about financial management while in prison. The film then shows us just how easy it has become to make shady money disappear and turn it, after a few transactions through tax havens, into clean money. The whole point of the film is then to see if the protagonists will go about it the right way, and above all before they’re caught by the investigating police or the criminals to whom this money originally belonged.
What stands out most—and which, in my opinion, is a very wise choice—is the contrast between the cynicism of the subject matter and the lightheartedness of the treatment. We’re clearly in comedy territory, and yet this comedy is both exhilarating and spine-chilling. The film also rests on the shoulders of its three lead actors, Alexandre Landry, Maripier Morin, and Rémy Girard, who brilliantly portray characters who have nothing in common, yet who, against all odds, manage to forge a strong and deep bond between them—one that was initially completely improbable. This is the film’s other strong point.
A cynical and amused (and no doubt somewhat disillusioned) reflection on our contemporary society and its increasingly amoral drift.
Director: Denys Arcand
Producer: Denise Robert
Screenplay: Denys Arcand
Cinematography: Van Royko
Music: Mathieu Lussier, Louis Dufort
Editing: Arthur Tarnowski
Sound: Martin Desmarais, Louis Gignac
Cast:
Alexandre Landry (Pierre-Paul Daoust)
Maripier Morin (Aspasie/Camille Lafontaine)
Rémy Girard (Sylvain « the brain » Bigras)