A state-of-the-nation movie comprising of a series of seemingly
unrelated stories set in a region of the South of France and often
treated in documentary-style fashion. Everyone in "Sophia Antipolis" has
their problems whether it's the young girls who want breast implants in
the film's opening sequence or the vigilante-like gangs who think they
are 'cleaning up' the area and it's a genuinely disturbing picture. It's
a little like what Paul Haggis' "Crash" might have been had it
been less interested in star power but unlike "Crash" the stories here
are totally disparate, verging at times on the surreal.
The title refers, not to a person, but to a place; a large technology
park on the French Riviera and it's what links the films many
characters. Sophia is also the name of a young girl whose burnt body has
been found in the park and the film is deeply critical of French
society today. This Riviera is not a paradise in the sun but a place
where immigrants find themselves being drawn into violence in the name
of the law or into sects convinced the world is coming to an end. It is,
in other words, a very nihilistic picture. It's only the second feature
of its director, Virgil Vernier and it should ensure him a very bright
future indeed.
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