Léo (Kévin Mischel) is a struggling musician. Whilst working on what he hopes will be his masterpiece, he spends his nights earning a living as a taxi driver. He’s also an occasional killer, using the adrenaline of his murders to spark his creative juices. When deaf dancer Amélie (Aurélia Poirier) enters his car one night, he is instantly stuck by her, and as his infatuation grows, so too does his desire to kill.
Out of the World presents a slow, soulful, and moody exploration of trauma, mental illness, communication, and the need that humans have to connect. Léo is a man struggling with many demons, and his past experiences have left him unable to properly interact with the world around him. Instead of words, he uses his music to convey his thoughts and emotions, and as such the film, particularly the opening third, are almost exclusively musical. Unfolding within the confines of Léo’s car, this opening portion of the film highlights the mundane repetition and isolation of Léo’s life, the only words uttered being that of his passengers, most of whom completely ignore their driver. It makes for a startling beginning, writer and director Marc Fouchard captivating the viewer from the outset.
A trend seems to be forming at the moment for silent or monosyllabic characters as leads, and whilst many grow tiresome, here Fouchard strikes gold by casting exactly the right person in the leading role. Kévin Mischel, who plays Léo, is a dancer by trade, a talent that is used to full advantage as Fouchard sacrifices dialogue in favour of a more physical performance. Using movement to convey emotions is obviously something that comes naturally to Mischel and his portrayal is mesmerically enigmatic and empathetic. Mischel and Fouchard previously collaborated on Break (currently available on Netflix UK) and their easy shorthand shines through onto the screen. Fouchard knows exactly when to push and pull Mischel to craft a wonderfully engaging character, despite a lack of traditional communication.
With so many of the characters rendered silent, Out of the World relies a lot on the score, which doubles as Léo’s work in progress. Composed by Cyesm, the music dictates the mood and tone of the film beautifully and takes the viewer on an aural journey of discovery. The visuals also offer plenty to entice and entrance the viewer. The film primarily plays out during the dark, shrouding the images in twilight hues and generating that oddly ethereal sensation during the witching hours. When the story does transition to daytime, the visuals are filled with lush autumnal woodscapes. This imagery reinforces the fairytale feelings conjured up during the night, and creates the world removed from the norm that Léo and Amélie inhabit.
It is in the pacing that Out of the World struggles. Fouchrad draws things out slowly and deliberately, taking time to let scenes, thoughts, and feelings simmer and ruminate within the minds of the audience. It’s a pace that drags and lags in places and it’s meditative musings require strict attention and engagement from the viewer. However, once committed, there is plenty to be absorbed.
Out of the World was reviewed at Arrow Video FrightFest Glasgow 2021.
Out of the World
Summary
A slow and steady character piece that makes the most of its lead’s ability to convey story through the medium of movement.
