Softie Petite nature

by Samuel Theis

France
2021
95 min
OV French
Feature film
Fiction
Color
DCP

Samuel Theis will be attending

Out of Competition 2021

Official synopsis

Johnny is ten years old but is only interested in adult stories. In his social housing in Lorraine, he observes his young mother’s agitated sentimental life with curiosity. This year, he’s joining Mr. Adamski’s class, a young teacher who believes in him and with whom he will discover a new world.

The programmer’s eye

Samuel Theis' first solo feature film shows the director's attachment to the place where he grew up and shot his previous films. Like Moselle in the short film “Forbach” and “Party Girl”, his cinema stands as a border area in which non-professional actors can move freely. Aliocha Reinert, a young and promising actor, is one of them. “Softie” is a personified, luminous and finely written film. Poverty appears in its bare truth, without miserability. Amorous contemplation and emerging desire are treated in an unprecedented way. A poignant story of emancipation.

— Nathan Reneaud

Biography and Filmography

Born in 1978, Samuel Theis studied acting at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre in Lyon. He then got into la Fémis scriptwriting workshop before co-directing his first film, “Party Girl”, with Marie Amachoukeli and Claire Burger. This film, that toys with the fine line between documentary and fiction, was the opening film of Un certain regard at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Caméra d’or. Samuel Theis is also an actor and a theatre director. “Softie”, produced by Caroline Bonmarchand, is his second feature film.

2021 - SOFTIE - Samuel Theis - Director, screenwriter
2014 - PARTY GIRL - Samuel Theis, Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger - Director, screenwriter
2008 - FORBACH (Short) - Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger - Screenwriter

Samuel Theis

Aliocha Reinert, Antoine Reinartz, Mélissa Olexa...

Avenue B Productions, France 3 Cinéma, Ad Vitam, Totem Films, Cinecap 3, Cineventure 5, Cinecap 3 Développement

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Totem Films

by Samuel Theis

Born in 1978, Samuel Theis studied acting at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre in Lyon. He then got into la Fémis scriptwriting workshop before co-directing his first film, “Party Girl”, with Marie Amachoukeli and Claire Burger. This film, that toys with the fine line between documentary and fiction, was the opening film of Un certain regard at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Caméra d’or. Samuel Theis is also an actor and a theatre director. “Softie”, produced by Caroline Bonmarchand, is his second feature film.

2021 - SOFTIE - Samuel Theis - Director, screenwriter
2014 - PARTY GIRL - Samuel Theis, Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger - Director, screenwriter
2008 - FORBACH (Short) - Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger - Screenwriter