This Thursday 12 March, the Festival de Málaga screened, as part of the Mosaico; International Panorama section, the film Le répondeur (The Unexpected Friend), directed by renowned French filmmaker Fabienne Godet. This feature film tells the story of the unusual friendship that develops between a famous writer and a celebrity impersonator
 
Director Fabienne Godet and producer Bertrand Faivre participated in the discussion following the screening. Godet is a filmmaker known for her focus on stories with profound social sensitivity and the analysis of human psychology, a trait she developed through her studies in psychology. However, this film marks her first foray into comedy.
 
Godet says it is very difficult for her to explain why she chose to adapt this book. She maintains that the theme of "mobile phone addiction" was very present and played a significant role in her decision. Another thing that encouraged her to adapt this novel was "the relationship that develops between Batiste and Pierre's daughter."
 
For Godet, what impresses her about mobile phones is that "you're connected to everything except yourself," and what she found most beautiful about the book is how the protagonist manages to achieve "a new freedom" by separating himself from this object.
 
For his part, Faivre explains that the film was a success not only in France but also in other countries, something that came as a "surprise" to them because there are things "so French" that they didn't think would reach a wide audience outside the film's country of origin. 
The story follows the encounter between Baptiste (Salif Cissé), a brilliant celebrity impersonator struggling to make a living, and Pierre Chozène (Denis Podalydès), a renowned writer whose daily life is constantly interrupted by calls from his editor, his daughter, and his ex-wife.
 
Pierre, needing peace and quiet to write his new novel, proposes that Baptiste become his answering machine, impersonating him on the phone. After this decision, things get complicated when Baptiste becomes too immersed in the character and begins making his own decisions.
 
Following its screening at the Festival de Málaga, the feature film will be released in Spanish cinemas from May