1-2 Special Takes Cannes Winner A Man of His Time for North America

Boutique distributor 1-2 Special has acquired Emmanuel Marre’s French period drama A Man of His Time for North America, the company announced Tuesday.

A rare look at the Vichy regime and French collaboration with the Nazis, Marre’s movie is inspired by the story of his own great-grandfather. Set in 1940, it follows Henri Marre (played by Anatomy of a Fall actor Swann Arlaud) as he tries to ingratiate himself with the new regime.

A Man of His Time was well-received at its world premiere in Cannes, where it won the prize for best screenplay. In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, critic Jordan Mintzer called the film a “scathingly fresh look at wartime fascism.” He highlighted Marre’s modern-day approach to the material, which “is ostensibly a period piece but seems more contemporary, like a grungy indie flick in which everyone sports three-piece suits and vintage hairstyles yet behaves very much the way people do now. The film feels fresh and off-the-cuff, as if someone traveled back to 1940 with an iPhone and hit record, chronicling the dark years of far-right obedience and moral decadence.”

A Man of His Time Marre’s second feature following Zero Fucks Given, which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2021, winning the Gan Foundation Award.

1-2 Special will release A Man of His Time in theaters next year.

“I’m absolutely delighted that the film is being distributed by 1-2 Special,” sais Marre in a statement. “To be part of their carefully curated lineup is a real honor for A Man of His Time. I can’t wait for the film to reach audiences in the U.S. and to see how they respond to it, to this deeply European story, yet one that resonates in so many ways with our contemporary world.”

The feature adds to 1-2 Special’s growing slate of indie auteur titles. Since it’s launch early last year, the New York-based outfit has focused on festival features with critical cred, acquiring such features as Sandra Wollner’s Un Certain Regard Prize-winner Everytime; Mark Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada with George MacKay and Callum Turner; Christian Petzold’s Miroirs No. 3; and Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut, Urchin.

A Man of His Time was produced by Kidam in France and Michigan Films in Belgium, and was co-produced by Les Films Pelléas, Les Films de Pierre, Unité, France 2, Condor, The Ink Connection, RTBF, Be tv, Orange and Proximus.

The deal was negotiated by Hélène Espeisse of Charades on behalf of the filmmakers with 1-2 Special.