Yannick (2023)

We've all been to the theatre and wondered what we were doing there? Rarely, though, have any of us stood up to complain about the lacklustre performance directly to those on the stage. Well "Yannick" (Raphaël Quenard) does precisely that moaning that he's taken a day off work and spent his time and money on their presentation of "Le Cocu" that's not exactly enthralling him. Initially the talent engage, then they send him packing. Undeterred, he returns shortly afterwards with a gun, demands a laptop, a printer and devises a script for them to improve on their efforts. Yes, it's all fairly far-fetched and for a while I wasn't sure whether "Yannick" was actually the fourth cast member of the ensemble in to shake things up a bit. Certainly, the theatre goers never look very intimidated by their "captor". It is that ambiguity and an entertaining Quenard rendition that makes this quite a quirky watch that though it goes on too long, is actually at times quite an innovate piece of characterful cinema-cum-theatre that has just enough of the plausible about it to make it funny sometimes. It runs out of steam completely at the end, but the first forty minutes or so are original and worth a watch.