[Critical] Vincent has no scales

Hused the short format with more than ten years of short films, Thomas Salvador launches with Vincent has no scales in her first feature. A film of simplicity that keeps the spirit of the short formats. With a duration of less than 1 hour 20, the developer cannot be forced to stick to the usual standards (1 hour 30) since, by not revealing that some things on the past and the origin of its main character, Vincent, it offers us a moment of his daily life, of its present. This character, played by himself, Thomas Salvador, is a man from the physical to the less banal, graying temples and a slight squint, contrasting with his secret, a power that he gets when he wets his body.

Vincent has an extraordinary power : his strength and reflexes increase tenfold in contact with water. To fully experience this gift, he settles in an area rich in lakes and rivers, and sufficiently isolated to preserve his tranquility. During a getaway in water, he is surprised by Lucie, with whom he falls in love.

If it has been announced on the occasion of his promotion (trailers in particular) as the first film of the ” super-hero French “, and although there is a reuse of all the codes of the genre, Vincent isn’t really one. His power and his mastery of the watery universe, make him a mixture of Kevin Costner in Waterworld (1995 , Kevin Reynolds), without gills, and a kind of’X-men. However, by observing his daily life, one quickly realizes that Vincent has nothing in this category of characters. On the one hand by its nature a discrete and solitary, on the other hand by the limits of his power (he loses his strength and agility as soon as his body becomes dry). Thus, as the said Thomas Salvador, to share, become a super master swimmer, the possibilities are limited. The references to the movies of super-heroes are then still present, but more as winks, and with a form of derision. A kiss how Spiderman de Sam Raimi (2002) but inverted (the young girl’s head upside down), or even a scuba gear as a costume. It is the time in these diversions and sobriety that Vincent has no scales is a spirit of burlesque comedy and situations in the manner of Buster Keaton, supported by a mounting intelligently studied, such as during a long pursuit, or when Vincent, deadpan, explained his faculties to Lucy. Because respecting the genre, Vincent falls in love. In the Face of the delicious Vimala Pons (Lucia), it will be faced with the difficulty of him to reveal his secret. The girl is an excellent opposite of Vincent, as much from the point of view of physical psychological. Him powerful in the water but a great quiet and out of the outside, she is lovely young woman, alive, full of energy and mischief. The few dialogues of the film takes all its meaning in their relationship where the communication goes through their silences and the look that door to Lucie, also love that in awe.

”With this return to a cinema of special effects, Vincent has no scales is impressive. Almost even more than the big productions that will “facilitate” the work by the use of digital effects”

In its approach to almost realistically with this topic, Thomas Salvador has opted for a total absence of digital effects (this time in agreement with the promotion of the movie that announced, ” a film 100% without special effects “). The director and his team have resorted to various tricks to basic machinery and mechanical to show the power and speed of the character in the water. If you can guess the use of springboards out of the water for several sequences, we are still amazed, like in front of a magic trick which we would not have the secrets, when our hero appears in different short of water (stream, river, sea…). With this return to a cinema of special effects, filmed in full nature, Vincent has no scales is impressive. Almost even more than the big productions that will “facilitate” the work by the use of digital effects. It is finally rather to its originality and treatment that the scenario, let’s be honest, pretty thin, which made the film a surprise charming.

The other outputs of the February 18, 2015

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