Nénette and Boni

Nénette and Boni
French	Nénette et Boni
Directed by	Claire Denis
Written by	Claire Denis Jean-Pol Fargeau
Starring	Grégoire Colin Alice Houri
Cinematography	Agnès Godard
Edited by	Yann Dedet
Music by	Tindersticks
Distributed by	Pyramide
Release dates	1996 (1996) (Locarno) 29 January 1997 (1997-01-29) (France)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

Nénette and Boni (French: Nénette et Boni) is a 1996 French drama film directed by Claire Denis, written by Denis in collaboration with Jean-Pol Fargeau.

Plot

After the death of his mother, Boni (Grégoire Colin) moves his friends into her house and begins working selling pizzas. He entertains violent sexual fantasies about a baker (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) who lives nearby. He is visited by his younger sister Nénette (Alice Houri), whom he is estranged from, who reveals that she is pregnant and moves into his home against his wishes.

Reluctantly, Boni begins to take his sister to doctor's appointments where they learn it is too late for her to have an abortion. As Boni gradually warms to the idea of being an uncle, Nénette looks into having a Jane Doe birth which will allow her to give birth anonymously and have the child adopted immediately. However, after Boni insults her for considering the option she attempts to abort the child at home, passing out before being rescued by Boni.

At the hospital Nénette bans Boni from the birth of her child, but he returns later, armed with a gun, and kidnaps his nephew, bringing him home to take care of him.

Cast

• Grégoire Colin as Boni
• Alice Houri as Nénette
• Jacques Nolot as Monsieur Luminaire
• Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as Baker's wife
• Vincent Gallo as Vincenzo Brown
• Malek Brahimi as Malek
• Gérard Meylan as The Uncle
• Alex Descas as The gynaecologist

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 1996 Locarno Festival. It was released in France on 29 January 1997 on 41 screens and grossed $145,920 in its opening week, opening at 14th at the French box office.^[1][2] The soundtrack to the film, created by Tindersticks, was released in 1996.^[3]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 13 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 7.3/10.^[4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[5]

Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, calling it "one of those movies that is saturated with sensuality but not with explicit detail."^[6] Derek Elley of Variety wrote, "In a change of tack from her previous pics, Denis adopts a patchwork of styles that gives the movie an irreal, highly metaphysical flavor."^[7]

Accolades

Award	Year of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref(s)
Locarno Festival	1996	Golden Leopard	Nénette and Boni	Won	[8]
		Best Actor	Grégoire Colin	Won
		Best Actress	Valeria Bruni Tedeschi	Won
		Special Mention: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury	Nénette and Boni	Won
Independent Spirit Awards	1998	Best International Film	Nénette and Boni	Nominated	[9]

References

1. "Nénette et Boni". AlloCine. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
2. "France Top 15". Screen International. 14 February 1997. p. 46. $1=FFR5.4
3. Swihart, Stanton. "Nenette et Boni [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - Tindersticks". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
4. "Nenette and Boni (Nénette et Boni)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
5. "Nenette and Boni". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
6. Ebert, Roger (28 November 1997). "Nenette Et Boni". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
7. Elley, Derek (26 August 1996). "Nenette and Boni". Variety. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
8. "1996: 49th Locarno Festival". Locarno Festival. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
9. "History Results". Independent Spirit Awards. Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2020.

External links

• Nénette et Boni at IMDb