Mathias Pascal, saddled with a stupid wife and a nagging mother-in-law, leaves home and is extremely lucky at several gambling resorts. He returns home and discovers that a drowned man, fished out of the river, bears an uncanny likeness to him and is being buried by his family as him.
Is it worth your time? If you enjoy classic European cinema that leans into the absurd and existential, yes. If you need a movie with tight, logical pacing where everyone makes rational decisions, steer clear. This one is for the crowd that likes watching a man ruin his own life for the sake of a fresh start. Mathias ...
Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.
Pierre Chenal
William Parke
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"Is it worth your time? If you enjoy classic European cinema that leans into the absurd and existential, yes. If you need a movie with tight, logical pacing where everyone makes rational decisions, steer clear. This one is for the crowd that likes watching a man ruin his own life for the sake of a fresh start. Mathias Pascal isn't exactly likable, but he’s deeply relatable. Who hasn't wanted to just walk out on a nagging mother-in-law and start over at a casino? The first half of the film moves ..."
Pierre Blanchar
Pierre Chenal, Armand Salacrou, Luigi Pirandello, Christian Stengel, Roger Vitrac
France
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