The Tribeca Film Festival jury gave special mention to the film The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq, directed by Guillaume Nicloux . This documentary is a rather dark comedy inspired by the disappearance of the French writer, Michel Houellebecq, while he was on tour in 2011 presenting his novel, The Map and the Territory.
Several media outlets in Europe attempted to cover the story of Houellebecq's kidnapping and even speculated that his disappearance may be the responsibility of Al-Qaeda, while others claimed that he was abducted by aliens!
This wonderfully capturing film features a fantastic performance by Houellebecq himself as the main actor and reveals a story including an unlikely group of kidnappers, consisting of athletes and lovers of literature. This true story is a comedy without sensationalism.
I recently saw the film with screenwriter Rafael Urrea Soto and we can humorously conclude that there are 10 rules to kidnap an intellectual such as Houellebecq:
1. Always provide quality cigarettes and a good bottle of Spanish wine at dinner.
2. Be on the ready with a match or lighter when he loudly demands a cigarette.
3. Never contradict him about his work or his favorite author Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
4. Make sure his bed has a very soft mattress.
5. Provide him with a great collection of literature for his reading pleasure.
6. Provide soft lighting to make his reading more enjoyable.
7. Celebrate his birthday with a cake and a prostitute.
8. Allow him to go outside every morning to enjoy some sunshine and teach him how to repair old cars.
9. Give him free boxing classes and teach him all the techniques to crush his opponent.
10. Upon collecting your ransom, release him nearby with hug, request an autograph and tips for writing a book in the future.
Starring by Mathieu Nicourt, Maxime Francois, Francoise Lebrun, Luc Schwarz, Veran Mauberret, Ginette Suchotzky, André Suchotzky, Marie Bourjala y Karim Achoui this dark comedy, connects us with an amazing episode in the life of the author of such books as : Extension du domaine de la lutte (Extension battlefield ,1994 ), Les particules élémentaires ( the Elementary Particles ,1998 ) Plateforme (Platform, 2001) and the possibility of an Island ( the possibility of an Island , 2005).