Film within a film within a film sounds like a difficult concept to pull off, but you are in good hands with the master of the absurd Quentin Dupieux on this year’s Cannes opening night film The Second Act.
The performances from Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel, Vincent Lindon, Raphaël Quenard, and Manuel Guillot are what makes it compelling more than anything else. Guillot, who I was not familiar with previously, was especially memorable. It is not as funny as Deerskin or some of Dupieux’s other films, but the humor is unmistakably his.
You can only put the pieces of the plot together as the film is approaching its ending and it satisfies. I had not read any reviews prior to watching the film, but some of the articles and social media posts sadly give away a key plot point revealed late in the film. You are better off watching it without reading much about it.
It is a Netflix co-production, so we might see it on their service at some point.
