Press coverage for „Les Attendants“ by Truong Minh Quý
„Both past and present prowlers coexist on a desolate hill artificially constructed over an old coal mine. A place once known as a last resource for those in need draws meandering souls seeking a safe haven. As the 16mm shots intrusively frame all kinds of natural and bodily textures, the sounds they emit seem as if they’re bursting through the treetops. Clearly, this is no representational register for these alluring vibrations. This is a sensual one. Each caress brings a jump in ellipsis that reconfigures time through a sensitive understanding, rather than a rational one; making a case for zipping leather and colliding flesh as potential vessels towards a return to a purer perception.“
review by Alonso Aguilar in Cinea
„The film was shot in June 2020, on the locations in North of France (Raismes) and Belgium (La Louvière), on 16mm with the breath-taking photography handled by Son Doan, who also worked as cinematographer on Truong Minh Quy’s critically acclaimed feature “The Tree House” (that premiered in Locarno’s Concorso Cineasti del presente in 2019). It’s important to mention that “The Men Who Wait” was edited on a Moviola cutting machine which allowed film editors Truong Minh Quy & Nicolas Graux to view the film while editing. Both locations are a part of a long history of “forbidden” sexual practices in the mining areas, dating from the times when heterosexuality was the only acceptable thing. Many men were hiding their true identities, seeking pleasure in the protective vastness of the surrounding greenery.“
review by Marina D. Richter on Asian Movie Pulse
„Dort, wo einst Bergbauarbeiten stattfanden, leben heute diejenigen, die in der Gesellschaft keinen Platz finden. Und andere nutzen den abgelegenen Ort, um ihrer Liebe nachzugehen, welche ebenfalls keinen Platz in der Gesellschaft zu haben scheint. „Ich glaube, er war auch schwul“, sagt einer der Männer, der sich wie andere hier zu anonymem Sex verabreden, über seinen Vater, der dort früher als Bergarbeiter arbeitete. „Les Attendants“ thematisiert vor dem Hintergrund der cruising culture im Alter die Fragen nach Zugehörigkeit und welche Rolle dabei Sexualität und Nationalität spielen.“
recommendation by Wiebke Jann on Mit Vergnügen
find updates on „Les Attendants“ on letterboxd
Les Attendants is also nominated for the 35th Teddy Award. Here you can find the Teddy TV-Studio interview.
photo © Daniel Seiffert
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