Fumer fait tousser

SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING: French weirdo-comedy director Quentin Dupieux enjoys such platitudes as the title of his latest feature because they serve his whimsical sense of humour well. In this new film, he has a troupe of wannabe – and wildly anti-nicotine – superhero avengers called “Tobacco Force” embark on a semi-adventurous journey that feels like a deliberately impoverished version of a Marvel blockbuster. A crew of five, the Force uses the negative energy of tobacco to fight the monsters they encounter, thereby – naturally – saving the world. But this film is more about the delirious detours of storytelling than it is about any cohesive plotline. Cast with Dupieux regulars like Alain Chabat and Benoît Poelvoorde, this surrealistic retro pop-farce navigates the twilight zones of cheap sixties sci-fi shows and the gory labyrinths of the anthology horror genre. The film features foam turtles, talking fish, rubber suits, thinking helmets and hilariously endless (or rather endlessly hilarious?) conversations. Various opportunities for faux-philosophizing arise from a sort of teambuilding seminar. The laconic jokes served up by Dupieux are reckless and unpredictable. (Stefan Grissemann)

Quentin Dupieux: NONFILM (2002), STEAK (2007), RUBBER (2010), WRONG (2012), WRONG COPS (2013), RÉALITÉ (2014), AU POSTE! (2018), DEERSKIN (2019), MANDIBULES (2020), INCROYABLE MAIS VRAI (2022)