Le Grand Soir

He ain’t heavy, he’s my middle-aged punk brother. France is in need of another revolution. A punk revolution. Thanks to the ever-punk, “Not”, who proudly displays his pooch, a mohawk, and his name penned into his forehead, France may get their revolution yet. Or burn down trying. Not’s brother, Jean-Pierre, couldn’t be more of an opposite: suit and tie, child rearing, and working in the city’s shopping district at a mattress store. And not well. When Jean-Pierre loses his job (in grand, booze-filled fashion) he finds himself on the streets alongside his brother, who he previously looked upon with disdain. But it’s Not who saves Jean-Pierre and shows him the world of middle finger waving, mohawk-sporting, panhandling ways of punkdom. Like a comical version of “Fight Club” (without the fighting) mixed with the adult-version of “Goonies” (without the treasure hunt), LE GRAND SOIR is a brilliantly funny film from Belgian dark-comedy duo Gustave Kervern and Benoît Delépine. Watching Jean-Pierre’s breakdown and eventual transformation to punk anarchist under his new persona, “Dead,” is a needed reminder that no matter the amount of our material consumption, “We’re Not Dead.” – T.W.