Before/After
(
Avant/Après
The debut film from French-Estonian creator, director, and actor Manoël Dupont, which revolves around two men connecting through their shared experience of baldness and journeying to Istanbul for hair transplantation surgery, will have its world premiere in the Proxima Competition at the festival.
59th edition
of the
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
(KVIFF) next month.
The film is about Jérémy and Baptiste. “Their shared baldness takes them to Istanbul, where clinics claim to reverse the course of time,” reads a plot description for the film. “Amid shifting winds and silent unrest, they search for meaning in a city not their own. Day by day, a fragile bond forms, in the hope of change.”
Before/After
The film was penned and helmed by Dupont, with production handled by Boris Baum and Clara Brandt through their Brussels-based outfit, Les Films de la Récré. It also has ties to creators based in Paris and Marseille.
Outplay Films
is managing sales for the film.
Transformation lies at the core of this concept.
Before/After
(
Avant/Après
,” says Dupont. “What signifies transformation? At what point can we claim that an event has genuinely occurred—and why does this matter? Initially, what caught my attention was the transplantation process itself. It appears so straightforward: nothing new is introduced; elements merely shift positions. A single hair follicle is extracted from one location and inserted into another. This isn’t about adding but rather displacing—this movement alone suffices to bring about alteration.”
The director continued, “This concept shaped my narrative approach too. I find no value in distinguishing between fact and fantasy—I aim for them to enhance and reflect one another. For the characters of Jérémy and Baptiste, we collaboratively constructed their backgrounds. This provided a stable base that allowed flexibility without constraining our options.”
The KVIFF summary emphasizes that the film delicately examines topics such as LGBTQ+ identity, vulnerability, and emotional closeness. It also notes that the duo’s wanderings through the bustling Istanbul add depth to the essence of their journey – particularly the pursuit of finding beauty in imperfections.
The trailer features main characters Baptiste Leclerc and Jérémy Lamblot going to a clinic where they mostly interact with one another. They are seen with foam on their heads and engaging in playful exchanges, even joking about potentially suffering from “bad hair” as a consequence.
Dupont stated: “They form an excellent comedic pair brimming with irony, which undoubtedly influenced both the narrative and atmosphere of the movie as well.”
Watch the trailer for
Before/After
below.
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