‘Fiasco’ (2024) Netflix Series Review - Filmmaking Is Tough

Filmmaking is not an easy business. It requires a lot of effort, planning, coordination, and mental strength. It's all very stressful - definitely not a child's play. Yet, Fiasco (created, written, and directed by Igor Gotesman and co-created and co-written by Pierre Niney) puts a childlike character at the center of this hectic profession. Raphaël Valande (Pierre Niney) is so meek that an actor, Robin (Vincent Cassel), easily dilutes his creative vision by "suggesting" smoke be removed from a scene so that things can become clearer. What about the loopholes that also become clear? Robin doesn't care, and Raphaël isn't able to assert himself. This weak-kneed director fails to say no to a product placement. No wonder his assistant, Magalie (Géraldine Nakache), casually takes over the task of screaming, "Action!" and "Cut!"

Through a submissive character like Raphaël, Fiasco accentuates how difficult it is to control a movie set. There are hundreds of people around, and they will have their own opinions. A director should be competent enough to accept or reject ideas for his project. You can't go around pleasing everyone like Raphaël. It's unclear why anyone would hire Raphaël as a director. He is terrible at managing his crew members. On the basis of the few brief scenes we see him shooting on the set, it seems as if he doesn't have any real style or exceptional talent. Some of the characters compliment his script, though what he shoots looks devoid of meaningful substance. Raphaël wants to pay tribute to his grandmother, but we randomly move from Stone Age to the Nazi period to the Viking era.

Then again, maybe Fiasco wants us to take all this as a part of its joke. Its primary purpose is to create The Office-like awkward situations, so you often see characters talking to the camera. As if an incompetent filmmaker wasn't enough, more trouble is introduced through a video clip scandal and blackmail, thanks to a mole who wants to sabotage Raphaël's passion project. Sometimes, Raphaël creates complications for himself, which leads, among other things, to a stunt gone horribly wrong. This gives rise to one of the funniest scenes in the series, as Raphaël goes to the victim's house to inform her family about her accident. When things go wrong here, they generally explode with humor. Hence, you see an interview getting interrupted by diarrhea.

Raphaël is terrible at breaking bad news - he is afraid of confrontations. This is why he uses sticky notes to deliver messages like "You are fired." Raphaël is not the only "quirky" character here. There is Jean-Marc (Pascal Demolon), a producer who is out of touch with the modern world. He takes the phrase "The clock is ticking" literally and is unaware of social media. Gabrielle (Juliette Gasquet), an intern, lies on the other side of the spectrum with her understanding of modern slang and cleverness (she comes up with a few good ideas regarding how to tackle the mole situation). But it's her innocent, eager-to-please, childish voice that stays in your head. Tom (François Civil) brings a comic energy coated with utter sincerity. His method-acting shenanigans are sweet and ludicrous. Ludivine (Louise Coldefy), a make-up artist, has bad breath, and Karim (Djimo) cooks bad dishes. Of course, these two end up together.

Fiasco maintains a restless momentum that is never destroyed, even during sentimental moments. Raphaël's pain, Jean-Marc's heartbreak, and Tom's friendly emotions are covered with traces of laughter. Fiasco, ultimately, works because its jokes always hit the mark. As a result, it never turns into a complete failure. The fiasco on the screen is effectively converted into something amusing and pleasurable.

Final Score- [8/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times