It is the story of an organized march to denounce the invisibility of blacks in French society, told by a man victim of police violence ... And it's cinema. "Simply black" by Jean-Pascal Zadi and John Wax, which comes out this Wednesday July 8 in nearly 500 cinemas, resonates in an astonishing way with the news of these last weeks, marked by the demonstrations against racism which followed the death of George Floyd in the United States and by rallies organized in France in tribute to Adama Traoré.
This comedy, however, began to germinate in the head of its co-director and main actor Jean-Pascal Zadi more than five years ago. At that time, this former rapper decides to write a comedy on what "black identity" is in France. He invents a character of a failed actor, baptized JP, who embarks on the orchestration of the first big black protest march in France. And who will call on many personalities to support him. The cast brought together in the film is impressive, from Lilian Thuram to Soprano, including Fary, Claudia Tagbo, Vikash Dhorasoo, Fabrice Eboué, JoeyStarr, Lucien Jean-Baptiste, Eric Judor, Fadily Camara, Ramzy Bedia or Mathieu Kassovitz.
The self-deprecating card
With this feature film conceived as a fake documentary, the duo of directors delivers a very funny and sometimes creaky film. We enjoy watching the artists play the card of self-deprecation: after having sworn he was not Black, Eric Judor takes himself for Martin Luther King, Soprano gets upset when JP calls him "favorite rapper of college students ", and while Vikash Dhorasoo promises to launch an" Indian march ", Claudia Tagbo becomes violent when JP tells her about her" big buttocks "... But beyond this succession of caustic scenes, the film demonstrates that black identity is multiple, that the "black community" does not exist and that mobilizing around the situation of blacks in France is complex.
And while he has a hard-hitting question about the representation of diversity in cinema (notably through a biting sequence with Fabrice Eboué and Lucien Jean-Baptiste), this film could well be the comedy which revives the frequentation of cinemas in France. Produced with a modest budget of 3.3 million euros, "Tout simply noir" will be widely scheduled, especially in multiplexes. Its entries will be scrutinized and may well decide some professionals still cautious to release their films this summer. Jean-Pascal Zadi's film will therefore overturn preconceived ideas ... and perhaps summer cinema.
EDITOR'S NOTE: 4/5
"Tout simply noir" , a French comedy by Jean-Pascal Zadi and John Wax. With Jean-Pascal Zadi, Fary, Caroline Anglade, Lilian Thuram, Soprano, Claudia Tagbo, Vikash Dhorasoo, Fabrice Eboué, Eric Judor… (1h30).