Wednesday, 25 May 2022

HPI - SEASON 2, EPISODES 5 & 6: DE MILLE FEUK & S COMME ITALIE (TF1)

[Favourite of the Month][Spoiler-free review] The amazing Audrey Fleurot (Spiral, A French Village) is back in HPI. The 8 x 52-minute second season of French private channel TF1's record-breaking comedy/crime drama goes on with episodes 5 & 6.

Created by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot and Nicolas Jean two of the creators of La Mante with Stéphane Carrié (1), HPI established itself as a ratings phenomenon in France and Belgium during spring 2021 when its first 8 x 52 minute season broke historic records (2) and ranked amongst the most watched dramas in Europe. Sold in 90 countries, the series confirmed its status with the start of the second season on May 12th as the premiere drew 9.25 million viewers to TF1 (41.8%). Audrey Fleurot shines as Morgane Alvaro, a mother of three (from two different fathers) with a disdain for authority and a 160 I.Q. that makes her HPI (Haut Potentiel Intellectuel). She was a cleaning lady at the commissariat de Lille until Commissaire Céline Hazan noticed her abilities and offered her a consultant job in the team of Commandant Adam Karadec.

The no-nonsense Karadec tries to adapt his style of policing to the red tornado, as genius as she's uncontrollable. The actors alongside Audrey Fleurot are excellent: Mehdi Nebbou, who worked for Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott and appeared on German TV in Allmen and Tatort and in the U.S. drama Homeland, plays Adam Karadec. Céline Hazan is played by Marie Denarnaud (La malédiction du volcan). The other regulars are Bruno Sanches (Gilles Vandraud), Bérangère McNeese (Daphné Forestier), Cypriane Gardin (Théa) (3), Noé Vandevoorde (Eliott), Cédric Chevalme (Ludovic Mullier) and Christopher Bayemi (Luther) as Dr. Bonnemain. Clotilde Hesme (Lupin) joins them as Commandant Roxane Ascher, of the internal affairs. The eagerly awaited second season, filmed between October 2021 and March 2022, continues with the both brilliant De mille feuk and S comme Italie.

In De mille feuk, it's been two months since Morgane Alvaro moved in with Céline and hasn't worked. Still depressed, she follows the commissaire in the office of a judge murdered before the announcement of the verdict of a criminal case. Roxane has made friends with the team. Morgane meets Sandra Weber, a local journalist. The producers and the scriptwriters develop the downsides of Morgane Alvaro's tremendous intelligence, helped by the the versatile Audrey Fleurot (Morgane in the backyard). The "HPIsm" surreal sequences, which illustrate Alvaro's thoughts or her behaviour, are more and more audacious and sophisticated, though a balance is kept between comedy and the plots. Written by Julian Anscutter, Marion Carnel and Alice Chegaray-Breugnot.  Christelle Reboul (Ici Tout Commence, Nos chers voisins) plays Sandra Weber and it would be nice to bring her back next year.
 
With the participation of the great French actor Rufus as Henri. Also with Xavier Hosten (Romain), Karin Swenson (Juge Carole Massart), Flor Lurienne (Erica Modier), Stéphane Pezerat (Erwan Le Goff), etc. In S comme Italie, Morgane is called for the murder of an elegant young man who has an invisible tatoo on one of his wrists. The talented Brigitte Aubry, seen in Astrid et Raphaëlle and Le crime lui va si bien, guest stars as Ophélie Belien. With the participation of Michèle Moretti as Agnès Alvaro and Rufus (Henri). Also with Cédric Le Maoût (Jérôme), Juliette Petiot (Crimes parfaits) as Inès, etc. Written by Eloïse Tibet-Zanini, David Robert, Julien Anscutter and Alice Chegaray-Breugnot.  Story arc by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, Julien Anscutter and Stéphane Carrié. Episodes 5 & 6 directed by Jean-Christophe Delpias (Le Code). Produced by Septembre Productions and Itinéraire Productions with TF1 and the participation of Salto (the French streaming service).
 
Co-produced by Be-Films, RTBF (Télévision belge), Umedia, Pictanovo and RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. Filmed with the support of Région Hauts-de-France Jean Nainchrik, Anthony Lancret and Pierre Laugier are the line producers. Patrice Onfray exec produces. Produced by Anthony Lancret, Pierre Laugier and Bérengère Legrand. Music by Yannis Dumoutiers. Cinematography by Isarr Eiriksson. Editing by Nathalie Langlade (De mille feuk), Thaddée Bertrand (S comme Italie). Main title design by Brett & Cie (Crimes parfaits). Graphic animations by La Brigade du Titre. Visual effects by Super 35 Productions and Umedia. Supported by the Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique and the investors of the Tax Shelter, with uFund. High Intellectual Potential (the international title of HPI) is distributed by Newen Connect. Seasons 1 & 2 are available on Salto. Season 1 is available on DVD thanks to UGC.
 
De mille feuk will be shown this thursday and S comme Italie next week.

(1) Based on an idea from Nicolas Jean. Djibril Glissant and Franck Martins contributed to the series.
(3) Cypriane Gardin also plays in France 3's crime drama Police de caractères.
 
 

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