{"id":844243,"date":"2026-09-11T15:28:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T15:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/844243\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T15:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T15:28:11","slug":"one-minute-to-midnight-review-melvil-poupaud-reckons-with-his-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/844243\/","title":{"rendered":"‘One Minute to Midnight’ Review: Melvil Poupaud Reckons with His Past"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Nicolas Pariser\u2019s \u201cOne Minute to Midnight,\u201d Melvil Poupaud<\/a> plays L\u00e9o, a 49-year-old former culture writer and current college TA who lives in Nancy after being priced out of Paris years before. He stops in Paris on his way to Italy to see a lawyer after the death of his Italian biological father, whom he never met. When that appointment is postponed by a week, he decides to stay in Paris to interrogate his past.<\/p>\n

The inciting incident of this existential query is a conversation with his daughter Emma (Clara Pacini), a 19-year-old activist involved in the current clashes between police and rioters in the suburbs of Paris. After L\u00e9o tells his daughter \u2014 who was raised by her mother \u2014 that his father claimed L\u00e9o\u2019s mother was his ultimate love, despite their having spent only a brief time together, she is disgusted by this romanticism and what she views as sexism. \u201cSame old story!\u201d she tells her father. \u201cMen take women\u2019s bodies to produce a story, pure fiction, that excludes the actual woman from life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Penélope<\/a> \"Dorothy\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

L\u00e9o then meets with some of his old compatriots who ran a culture magazine started at the turn of the century. Alexandre is someone L\u00e9o hated then and can\u2019t stand now, but he connects with Alexandre\u2019s wife, El\u00e9onore (L\u00e9onie Simaga), in a relationship born of mutual antipathy toward her husband and a growing attraction and curiosity between them. They walk the streets of Paris and talk about the magazine\u2019s salad days, as El\u00e9onore is especially curious about the women around them. These women barely contributed to the journal, yet were mostly present as attractive interns, along with one unforgettable muse named Tina. When El\u00e9onore hears that L\u00e9o had an affair with an intern, she suggests he contact her about this possible transgression.<\/p>\n

The intern, Armelle (Ana\u00efs Demoustier), has become a Socialist politician, and she is relieved to take a break from the current crisis to see an old friend. When she finds out that another man involved with the magazine has been accused of rape, she is not surprised. Another intern warned her about him. \u201cLike rain: you protect yourself. That\u2019s how it was,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

When he brings up their affair, wondering if he was abusing his power over her without being fully aware of it, she shrugs. \u201cAt the time it seemed normal. Today it probably isn\u2019t,\u201d she tells him. \u201cI\u2019m not angry with you. It doesn\u2019t mean what happened to us was right or normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The film<\/a> follows a theme of so many films in competition at the Venice<\/a> International Film Festival this year. In \u201cWild Horse Nine<\/a>,\u201d \u201cInk,<\/a>\u201d \u201cThe Basics of Philosophy,<\/a>\u201d perhaps even Casey Affleck\u2019s \u201cCompany,<\/a>\u201d there is a sense of passive guilt at the state of the world. In Pariser\u2019s film, there is at least some personal accountability, which is a relief and a change. But despite compelling performers and a pleasant score, the problem is that this could have been an article, or perhaps a play. Most of the film is simply two people talking, whether walking or sitting still.<\/p>\n

The film comes alive in two sections. The first is when L\u00e9o tracks down his most successful former colleague, Fran\u00e7ois (a terrific Micha Lescot), who is currently producing a fictional television show about their magazine days, now considered vintage and cool. As L\u00e9o wanders the set, he sees that the person playing him is also playing a loser, as described by one cast member, or at least someone hesitant to commit. It is a joy to see in films like this, or Mia Hansen-L\u00f8ve\u2019s Paris-set \u201cEden\u201d (2014), a focus on the people who didn\u2019t succeed. They didn\u2019t fail but never became remarkable, like most people.<\/p>\n

Other scenes that transcend the dialogue come when we finally meet the muse, Tina, who \u201cdid not write but went to screenings\u201d and inspired every man on staff. As soon as L\u00e9o describes her as \u201cabnormally beautiful,\u201d it is clear she will be played by Golshifteh Farahani, one of the names in the credits and one of the most beautiful women in the world. Tina was hiding in plain sight, working on the television show and exhausted from her late-night production job when L\u00e9o finds her. She instantly knows what he wants, and declines. \u201cI sensed your need for existential conversation. Stop looking at me with puppy eyes,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

And though all the actors are good, Farahani most transcends the flat plane of the screen. She moves! She walks ahead of L\u00e9o and behind him, lies flat, and refuses to be contained by L\u00e9o and his moping. She tells him she is already worn out from her brother staying with her recently, talking about their childhood and his divorces. \u201cAll that cheesy romanticism,\u201d she describes it. \u201cI\u2019ve been there, and I\u2019ve had it with masculine self-pity. Why are you all so glum lately? Basta! Get over yourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

And one wishes Farahani could say that to so many men making films this year. Unfortunately, those few, vital moments with her do not break the shell of this sensitive man with his puppy eyes. His journey is one of implosion. There is crisis all around him. At one point, France threatens to become a temporary dictatorship to deal with the political unrest at the edges of the screen. In the very last shot, Pariser seems to leave this uncertain world in the hands of young Emma and her generation. Like the apology tour shown in the film, the ending is a sensitive cop-out.<\/p>\n

Grade: B-<\/p>\n

\u201cOne Minute to Midnight\u201d premiered at the 2026 Venice Film Festival before playing TIFF. The film is currently seeking U.S. distribution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Nicolas Pariser\u2019s \u201cOne Minute to Midnight,\u201d Melvil Poupaud plays L\u00e9o, a 49-year-old former culture writer and current…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":844244,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[88,2695,206,900,15741],"class_list":["post-844243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-movies","tag-reviews","tag-venice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=844243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844243\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/844244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=844243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=844243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=844243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}