For its very first series In therapy , the duo of directors Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache ( Hors Norms , Le sens de la fête , Intouchables ) is interested in psychoanalysis by following a therapist and his patients during their sessions after the Bataclan attacks . An ode to the power of speech when everything is going crazy, in 35 short episodes broadcast on Arte.tv from January 28. Why are you going to love it?
An insane casting
Toledano & Nakache are used to surrounding themselves well. To carry out this adaptation of an Israeli series, the inseparable cast a slew of actors able to strain the emotion of a very minimalist camera
In the order of the episodes, Mélanie Thierry pulls the sensitive cord in the role of a young surgeon on call the night of the attacks, who openly flirts with her shrink. Imperial, Reda Kateb is a police officer at the BRI , traumatized by his nightly intervention at the Bataclan and skeptical about the effectiveness of therapy.
The promising Céleste Brunnquell (nominated for the César 2020 for best female hope for Les Éblouis ) puts on the plasters of a swimming champion who came to attest to her assurance that her accident was in no way a suicide attempt. On the other hand, Pio Marmaï (always divinely excited) and Clémence Poésy camp a couple in crisis facing the desire for abortion of the wife.
But the character at the heart of the plot remains the empathetic and stoic Doctor Dayan, played by Frédéric Pierrot , spotted in Polisse , Fiertés and Hors Normes . In front of him, his “ controller ” Carole Bouquet is the necessary shrink for the shrink, not hesitating to confront him with his contradictions when he himself begins to crack and turn away from his own family.
An ultra-polished frame in two readings
In therapy's tour de force lies in the intelligence of its non-linear division , since each 25-minute choral episode follows a patient. Suddenly, according to his preferences and his available brain time, we decide to follow a reading by episode or by character. Enough to learn to speak quickly during the lunch break or by binge-watching the 35 episodes in a row next weekend.
We can also feel in the editing the work of a whole team of screenwriters , directors , DAs and adapters involved in the definition of the place and the characters, some of whom have really helped each actor to abandon himself completely in his role, so that they become one. And this is precisely what makes the reading become perfectly fluid, coupled with the music composed by Yuksek , figure of the French Touch .
This is not a series on the attacks
Although the Bataclan attack in November 2015 represents a landmark of time, only two characters (the surgeon and the cop) consult to find a solution to the emotional shock they have just experienced. The others adopt a much more personal approach, forcing the doctor to juggle the moods of his patients and the degrees of seriousness of their speech.
In fact, In therapy completely invites the spectator to desacralize a practice which is sometimes impressive, although it is particularly widespread in France. So, do we make an appointment?
In full on ARTE.TV from 01/28 to 07/27/21
On ARTE on Thursday at 8:55 p.m. from February 4 to March 18, 2021
© Carole Bethuel or Les Films du Poisson
Also discover Losing Alice, the new Israeli series available on Apple TV and the new series for January .
