September Run
| September Run | |
|---|---|
| Trajet de Septembre | |
| Directed by | Guan Tonghua |
| Starring | Jeremie Studer-Herth, Pierre Mörch, Zihe Tavernier, Inès Capelle |
Production company | Marion-Guichard Studios |
Release dates | July 7th, 2023 |
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country |  Laeral |
| Language | French |
| Budget | LRM 80 million |
| Box office | LRM 133 million |
September Run is a Laeralian drama/thriller film, released by Marion-Guichard Studios in 2023. The film stars Jeremie Studer-Herth, Pierre Mörch, Inès Capelle, and Zihe Tavernier. September Run follows a young man and his father in rural Lematre during the 1970s; mechanic's apprentice Renald hopes to restore a vintage Mareilles Corsage sedan in order to woo a young woman, yet his plans are disrupted by his father Guilhem's involvement in an illegal bootlegging operation put on by a criminal triad. September Run was director Guan Tonghua's sixth film, and his third to prominently involve automobiles, after 2011's Paradise Motel and 2018's Free Man's Ballad. The film grossed 133 million marks worldwide, and was acclaimed by critics. September Run was the Laeralian submission to the 2023 IDU Film Festival, nominated in four categories.[1] It won in the most prestigious category, Best Film.[2]
Plot Synopsis[edit | edit source]
From the film's official IDU Film Festival synopsis: "Renald (Jeremie Studer-Herth) is an ordinary young man, growing up in a rural backwater region of Peninsular Laeral. It’s the 1970s—no one in his village has a television, and only one road is paved—and he’s just a few months away from graduating from his auto mechanic’s apprenticeship at the local garage. But Renald’s got big dreams: he’s secretly working to fix up the broken-down Mareilles Corsage sedan that he salvaged from the scrapheap. With this, he’ll be able to win over Marilyn (Inès Capelle), the general store clerk’s daughter, and drive to the big city of Lyrene to make a new life.
Things get complicated when Renald’s single dad, Guilhem (Pierre Mörch), runs into trouble. Desperate to prevent his farm from being seized by the bank, he’s taken up work as a bootlegger. Problem is, he’s been asked to carry out a riskier smuggling job than ever before—and his triad boss Montague, portrayed by the chilling Zihe Tavernier, won’t take no for an answer. After revealing his feelings to her, Renald is gearing up to take Marilyn to the Township Ball a few towns over, the restored Corsage sedan gleaming and its engine purring like a kitten, when his dad breaks the grim news about his bootlegging career. Knowing that his dad’s farm, and possibly his life is at stake, Renald selflessly offers to lend his car to help his dad evade the law that evening—but insists that he must come along. The father and son duo must evade the law and satisfy the triad’s wishes on a dangerous, moonlit smuggling run…as well as make it back in time for Renald to pick up Marilyn for the ball."[3]
Reception[edit | edit source]
The film was a moderate commercial success, grossing 118 million marks in domestic screening and 15 million marks in limited international screening, against a reported production budget of 80 million marks. Critics acclaimed the film, lavishing praise on Studer-Herth and Mörch's performances in particular as well as the film's direction. The soundtrack, composed by Dorian Kim, incorporated period and period-inspired music, and was praised for its integration with events onscreen, particularly during the film's climactic 22-minute car chase. At the 2023 IDU Film Festival, September Run was nominated for Best Film, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for Jeremie Studer-Herth and Pierre Mörch's performances, and Best Musical Score. It won the prestigious Best Film category.