La Crème (2007)

You will probably never see this film. I don't know how you would, unless you are lucky to catch it at a festival or buy an import copy of the region 2 DVD as the film is from France. I caught it at the Calgary Film Fest in September.

Two desperate men arrive at a job interview. The boss offers them the opportunity to decide between the two who will get the job. In one week, they must return and one has to give the job to the other. Meanwhile, one of the men is given some face cream that when applied lightly to his face, people immediately believe he is a nondescript famous person. As he is quite crooked, he takes every opportunity to take advantage of this superpower.

The low budget film is shot on location in winter with absolutely no special effects. The weight of the parable hinges on how believable the superpowers are, so everything is up to the actors and how convincing they can be. Fortunately, the players pull it off nicely. The writing was often hysterical and emotive.

For an obscure independent film, I was thoroughly entertained right up until the end.

Truth: Our culture is obsessed with fame; it's our new idolatry.

Official Site