"Paper tiger" : James Gray returns to Cannes with a twilight thriller

No surprises for the many James Gray fans: Paper tigre is part of the continuity of the work of the American filmmaker. We find his centers of interest, obsessions, which punctuate his filmography: New York, family, the Russian mafia, siblings, cold light, good and evil… Presented on May 16 in Cannes in official competition, Paper tiger (paper tiger) is an urban western that explores the flaws in our humanity. Carried by a five-star cast, notably an exceptional Miles Teller, the film ventures into the intimate and the universal.

Miles Teller and Adam Driver play Irwin and Gary, two brothers who give in to the temptation of easy money. The first is an engineer, the second a former police officer, converted to security consulting and auditing. Irwin is honest and predictable, Gary swims very well in troubled waters. Their American dream turns into a nightmare when the affair linking them to the Russian mafia goes off the rails.

What was just an opportunity becomes a pact with the devil. Irwin, who has a stable life with a loving wife and two children, doesn’t understand why he put his own family at risk for a few thousand dollars. He faces existential questions.

To help his brother, Gary sets off onto a dead-end highway. How to repair what is broken? Loyalty is central to James Gray. We find, thirty years later, all the ingredients of Little Odessaor even The Night belongs to us. The filmmaker places his latest work in New York in 1986, when the USSR was beginning to show signs of running out of steam, before collapsing five years later.

Who is the paper tiger? The head of the Russian mafia or Gary, the fearless former cop? Who is loyal to the other, the tidy brother or the ambitious one? How to react to the trials of destiny? James Gray is an exceptional storyteller who manages to bring to life both internal torments and external conflicts in this family drama.

Paper tiger, immersion in an ordinary family, caught up in issues that go beyond it. An ode to brotherhood.

Titre : “Paper tiger”
Genre : Drama, thriller, detective
Durée : 1h 55min
Scénario et réalisation : James Gray
With:  Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller
Theatrical release: not yet indicated
Synopsis : Two brothers who are complete opposites unite for a dubious affair linked to the Russian mafia. But what should have been an opportunity becomes a nightmare, endangering their family, their integrity, and their fraternal bond.