Pariser's 'Un Peu Avant Minuit' Brings MeToo Reckoning to Venice Competition

French director Nicolas Pariser has brought his drama "Un Peu Avant Minuit" ("A Bit Before Midnight") to the Venice Film Festival, where it is screening in competition at the 83rd edition. The film marks Pariser's debut at the festival.

The story centres on Léo, a 49-year-old played by French actor Melvil Poupaud, who spends a few days in Paris before travelling to Italy to handle the inheritance left by his estranged biological father. During his time in the French capital, conversations with his activist daughter and women from his past push him to question his own life.

Poupaud described the role as deeply personal. He said the director told him he had thought of him while writing the script, and that he learned the entire screenplay before shooting began, almost as one would prepare for a play. He called the film important for men of his generation as well as for women, and suggested it might speak to young women with fathers in their fifties who are sometimes unaware of what is happening around them.

A female ensemble appears opposite Poupaud, including Chiara Mastroianni, Golshifteh Farahani, Léonie Simaga, Clara Pacini, Anaïs Demoustier and Micha Lescot.

Pariser said he had the script reviewed extensively by friends and female writers, and noted that his chief operator and editor are both women. He described the dialogue as an ongoing process that continued through shooting and editing.

Speaking about MeToo, the director said nearly every woman he has known since around 2000 had overwhelming experiences to share, ranging from lamentable behaviour to far more serious crimes. He said those conversations shaped him, and that for a period it was difficult to discuss anything else. He called MeToo probably one of the great revolutions in human history, describing it not as a minor adjustment but as a reversal that demands general awareness. He added that he was raised to be a conqueror and came to understand he had effectively been taught violence, and that recognising this and drawing consequences takes time.

Poupaud echoed those themes, saying he is glad such questions are being raised and that men finally have a chance to examine their behaviour and change. He said the film prompts his generation to reflect on how they treated women in the past, calling it a life-changing experience.

"Un Peu Avant Minuit" is among 21 films in competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which runs through 12 September 2026.