Buddy found footage flicks are becoming all the rage. I've already seen three so far this year. Another thing common in genre films is the dark comedy friend flick where one character has more sinister intentions than the other. THE CABLE GUY, PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES will give you an idea what I mean. In the French footage romp STÉPHANE we meet the biggest con man of them all. A guy you won't know what to do with from start to finish. While he may seem harmless at times and in moments downright whimsical STÉPHANE also shows a dark side. Some of the things the viewer will hear him say will drive you up wall. STÉPHANE is as funny as it is twisted.
The film follows Timothée an aspiring filmmaker. During the shooting of a short film he gets interrupted by STÉPHANE. A larger than life character that's equal parts "mayhem" commercial and Tasmanian devil. Think of the rudest human being you have ever met times them by 3 and you have STÉPHANE. While the story tends to go astray early you can't help but laugh at the antics of STÉPHANE. Just when you don't think a situation could elevate anymore he takes it there. There are too many memorable parts to make STÉPHANE stand out. It does follow your normal found footage patterns. These films have become accustomed to delivering some strange twist to shock the viewer and STÉPHANE provides this as well. You get the point of the film early which tends to make it drag a bit. Still there are enough laughs in STÉPHANE to keep you going.
If you look at this in the same eyes as NETFLIX's big hit CREEP you can see the appeal of films like STÉPHANE. It's also further evidence that found footage isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Buddy flicks are at an all time high right now so STÉPHANE should be able to slide in as an enjoyable watch. It is French so subtitles on and enjoy!
3/5
STÉPHANE is directed by Timothée Hochet and Lucas Pastor, who also stars.