Making Of

Director Simon (Denis Podalydès) actually just wants to make a movie about the struggle of workers to save their factory. Filming begins, and with it the tension between secretly acting producers, egocentric actors and irritable technicians unfolds, driving Simon mad. Simon is overwhelmed by the events, especially when his financial backers let him down and he has to face up to the social conflicts within his own team. His only ally in this hellish shoot is the young extra Joseph (Stefan Crepon), whom Simon has entrusted with directing the “making of” the film. “Making Of” increasingly becomes the very film about exploitative conditions that Simon and his team are trying to develop here - and Joseph's making-of in turn becomes the documentation of an artistic and labor law escalation. In a meeting, they argue about whether the film being made should be a social comedy or a drama; meanwhile, [director Cédric] Kahn strikes a balance between humor and seriousness and delivers an entertaining, intelligent look at the cultural industry. [...] When Simon communicates via video call with his wife (Valérie Donzelli) and their two children, or when Joseph can't keep his feelings for Nadia under control, there are engaging moments that make Making Of a coherent, convincingly acted ensemble film. It is also nice to see how the relationship between Simon and Joseph develops. In the end, it's all a big mess - but thanks to Joseph, it's captured extremely conscientiously. And cut!” (Andreas Köhnemann, on: kino-zeit.de)