In January 2024, French actress Léa Seydoux revealed in an interview with Télérama that she had recently completed two weeks of filming for an unannounced new film by Quentin Dupieux, then titled À notre beau métier (To Our Beautiful Profession). The film also stars Louis Garrel, Raphaël Quenard, and Vincent Lindon.
Seydoux shared that she read the script in one sitting and quickly accepted the role out of admiration for Dupieux, whom she described as an "extraordinary filmmaker" whose style of humor "hides an increasingly social depth, through imperfect and clumsy characters." She described the film as a mise en abyme about "actors who play in a lousy film" and confront their characters and lines, and appraised it as "crazy" and "very, very funny."
The film was shot in the Dordogne region of France, primarily at the Condat-sur-Vézère aerodrome, over a period of two weeks in December 2023. The production was kept fully secret from beginning to end.
À notre beau métier had its world premiere out-of-competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2024. The film was released theatrically in France on the same day by Diaphana Distribution and became a box-office hit with nearly 500,000 spectators, making it Dupieux's biggest success to date.
When it comes to directors who defy convention and gleefully dismantle cinematic norms, Quentin Dupieux stands alone. Known for his absurdist comedies, surreal premises, and minimalist storytelling, Dupieux has carved out a unique space in contemporary cinema. Whether it’s a killer tire (Rubber, 2010) or a man obsessed with a deerskin jacket (Deerskin, 2019), his films challenge the idea of what stories can—or should—be told on screen.
From Mr. Oizo to Auteur Filmmaker
Before becoming a cult filmmaker, Dupieux made waves in the music world under the alias Mr. Oizo. His 1999 electro hit “Flat Beat” and its floppy yellow puppet companion “Flat Eric” made him a household name in electronic music. This dual identity as musician and filmmaker continues to influence his cinematic work, with his soundtracks often complementing his offbeat visuals and tones.
Dupieux’s first film, Nonfilm (2002), was a brief but clear signal of what was to come—a story that was less about narrative and more about experience, chaos, and meta-commentary. His breakthrough came with Rubber, the now-infamous tale of a sentient tire with telekinetic powers. The film is both a parody and a critique of audience expectations, featuring a built-in Greek chorus that watches and comments on the action from afar.
A Filmography of the Absurd
Dupieux's storytelling thrives on embracing the illogical. His films usually clock in under 90 minutes, and many feel like extended short stories or one-act plays infused with the spirit of Kafka and Monty Python. A few standout titles include:
Deerskin (2019): Jean Dujardin plays a man obsessed with his new deerskin jacket, which leads him into increasingly deranged behavior.
Mandibles (2020): Two dimwitted friends discover a giant fly in the trunk of a stolen car and try to train it like a pet.
Incredible But True (2022): A couple discovers a bizarre secret in the basement of their new home—a tunnel that transports people forward in time.
Each film walks a fine line between the ridiculous and the philosophical, using humor to ask deeper questions about identity, technology, mortality, and societal norms.
2024 and Beyond: À notre beau métier
In January 2024, actress Léa Seydoux revealed that she had recently completed two weeks of filming on a new, then-unannounced Dupieux project titled À notre beau métier ("To Our Beautiful Profession"). Co-starring Louis Garrel, Raphaël Quenard, and Vincent Lindon, the film is a meta-comedy about actors working on a terrible film—perhaps Dupieux's most directly self-referential piece yet.
Shot in secret in just two weeks, the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024 and quickly became Dupieux’s biggest commercial success to date. The movie's self-aware script, biting satire of the film industry, and short but impactful runtime drew praise from critics and audiences alike.
Why Dupieux Matters
In a cinematic landscape filled with sequels, franchises, and formulaic storytelling, Quentin Dupieux is a refreshing anomaly. His films may not be for everyone, but they are unapologetically original, deeply funny, and often surprisingly profound.
He invites audiences to laugh, think, and sometimes just surrender to the nonsense. And in a world increasingly in need of both reflection and escape, that might be exactly what cinema needs.
