Mayday

Running time: N/A

In this stunningly inventive French film, seven vignettes tell the story of twelve minutes in the lives of residents in a Marseilles apartment house. The vignettes move sequentially, one after another, but the twelve minutes in time are the same twelve minutes in each sequence. The film, then, becomes a fascinating study in time and perspective. We are forced not to see the story told as a linear progression, but as a series of pieces that must fit together. The young couple excited for the future, the reclusive biker, the interrupted wedding party, the lonely pensioner - they are all pieces in this puzzle. Adding further complexity: it's election day and the twelve minutes are leading up to the announcement of a new President for the nation. As the sequences unfold, the election serves as a collective epiphany we keep building up to but never quite reach. It also plays the role of mischievous catalyst: the uncertainty of what is to come leaves everyone tense and uneasy. Suddenly, the kettle boils over. People commit acts they never would have dreamed of just minutes earlier, express feelings they thought had long ago died. The momentous announcement is now just seconds away: the new President. But, alas, no one seems to be paying attention. They are lost - each - in personal epiphanies, oblivious to the TV's and radios around them that broadcast the cheering multitudes. (In French with English subtitles.) John Porter