Truth or Consequences

Nicolas, a whimsical yet disillusioned French author, sets out for New Mexico to look for an old man in danger who is writing him e-mails. Little does he know that his quest for the truth will have far-reaching consequences.

What on earth am I doing here? This is the question Nicolas, a friendly, whimsical, and disillusioned French author in his thir¬ties, asks himself when he lands in the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. All he wanted was to answer, without quite believing in it, an unexpected call for help sent out by an old man from his retirement home, whom he knew nothing about. Nicolas believed it would feed his dormant imagination, but this impersonation soon proved well to have serious consequences

What on earth am I doing here? This is the question Nicolas, a friendly, whimsical, and disillusioned French author in his thir¬ties, asks himself when he lands in the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. At first, all he wanted was to answer, without quite believing in it, an unexpected call for help sent out by an old man from his retirement home, whom he knew nothing about. Nicolas believed it would feed his dormant imagination, but this impersonation soon proved well to be a threat. Truth or Consequences is an indoor road-movie, that tells the story of a fraud unfolding all over New Mexico, encompassing the town from which the film derives its name. Named after a contest to host a TV game show by the same title, this truly existing town is the setting for the character’s quest to find his author, in an attempt to free himself. A quest for truth that may well have serious consequences.

Director's note:
Truth or Consequences tells the story of a fraud unfolding all over New Mexico, encompassing the town from which the film derives its name. Named after a contest to host a TV game show by the same title, this very real town is the setting for a character's quest to find his author, in an attempt to free himself. The staging underlines my pronounced taste for imposture and false pretenses, through its assumed artifice in the representation of reality, subtle enough not to take precedence over the narrative. This road movie was shot entirely indoors, on the former premises of the Éclair laboratories in Épinay-sur-Seine, which, for the duration of the shoot, were turned into a genuine cinema laboratory. The film's free form, in line with the aspirations of its protagonist, offers a way of looking at the world from an angle, so as to re-enchant it.