Lost Illusions at Real Art Ways

“Illuminates the dank frenzy of the 19th-century attention economy with an eye on our own post-truth era.
Lost Illusions is sensational.”
– The New York Times

“A poignant reminder that everyone who thinks they’ve cleverly sussed out the wickedness of mass media is hundreds of years behind the rest of the history class.” – The Wrap

Synopsis:

Fake news! Literary ambition and media corruption complete with champagne and schadenfreude.

Adapted from the novel by Honoré de Balzac. In French with English subtitles.

In 1821, Lucien de Rubempré (César winner Benjamin Voisin) arrives in Paris as a sensitive, and idealistic young poet determined to write a reputation-making novel. Instead, he finds himself swept into journalism, whose influence and reach is booming with the help of the printing press, widely available of late. Under the mentorship of cynical editor Étienne Lousteau (César winner Vincent Lacoste), Lucien agrees to write rave theater reviews for bribes, achieving material success at the expense of his conscience. With this sweeping adaptation of one of Balzac’s greatest novels, Xavier Giannoli crafts a contemporary tale of corruption amidst an early form of “fake news.”