Karlovy Vary 2022: Crazy Night with Quentin Dubiux

The 56th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is underway. Our journalist Ewelina Leszczynska went to the comedy “Smoking causes cough”, a version of the superhero series directed by Quentin Dubiux, which was presented in the section of Midnight Shows. What has the master of the French absurd prepared this time? You will find the answer in our review.

***

Review of the movie “Smoking Causes Cough” dir. Quentin Dubeux

Cigarettes up to
Author: Ewelina Leszczyńska

Have you ever wondered what superheroes do in their spare time fighting villains? Or how do they prepare for their mission to save the world? Probably not (why would you do that). But know that Quentin Dupieux answers these questions. The author of “Mordercza Tire” approaches the subject with his inherent indifference. “Smoking causes cough” has a futuristic retro story of the power of tobacco – a special unit of socks, the weapons of which are harmful substances found in cigarettes.

Don’t think it’s a promotion for tobacco companies. Although cigarette smoke is undeniably photogenic (as Jim Jarmusch, Paul Auster, and David Lynch know), Dubux does not follow this path. Ammonia (Olaya Ammara), nicotine (Anis Demoustier), methanol (Vincent Lacoste), benzene (Gil Lellouche), and Mercure (Jean Pascal Zade) know that the chemicals they call their nicknames cause cancer and other annoying diseases – that’s why they themselves are staying away from them. They encourage others to do so.

The director gives the characters the style borrowed from Power Rangers and the charisma of the customers from “Danger 5”. We get to know them when they defeat their enemy the Turtles together. Although their victory is astonishing, the joy does not last long. The leader of the group, Didier the Rat, a distant relative of the titular music video hero is hiding under the pseudonym Mr. Oizo Dupieux announces another mission: this time the fate of the entire planet is at stake, the destruction of which is planned by Lezardin (Benoît Poelvoorde), a creeper from outer space.

Dupieux does not even pretend to respect any rules. With superhero cinema entering the workshop, the director, known for his love of deconstructing genre patterns, is giving himself a chance to show off. Although the film begins with a scene of a fight with a villain, the plot of “smoking causes coughing” can be ironically summarized with a quote from “Rejs”: boredom, nothing happens. Members of the Tobacco Force, who are sent to the camp where they must regenerate and find the spirit of loneliness disappearing in the group, spend their time chatting, and amuse themselves with exciting stories.

You can read the full review of the movie “Fumer fait tousser” on the movie card over here.