Paris-based sales-production home Totem – whose gross sales slate has included “Compartment No. 6,” My Favorite Cake” and “The Hypnosis” – has boarded worldwide gross sales on “Follies,” a sexually candid open relationship comedy.

Set to world-premiere at August’s Locarno Movie Pageant, the French-language pic marks the buzzy function debuts a director of Montreal screenwriting powerhouse Éric. Okay. Boulianne. 

Additionally an actor, as a author he has scored with each breakout crowd pleasers,  comparable to “Compulsive Liar,” Canada’s No. 1 field workplace hit in 2019, and in addition with extra left-of-field gadgets comparable to 2022 comedy “Viking,” chosen for Toronto’s prestigious Platform competitors. 

Boulianne additionally received just lately at Locarno as a director, his “Making Infants” scooping Locarno’s 2023 Leopard of Tomorrow for finest brief. 

Co-written by Boulianne and co-starring the director and Catherine Chabot (“Compulsive Liar,” “La Candidate”),“Follies” (“Folichonneries”) activates François and Julie, collectively for 16 years and fogeys of two youngsters, who can not join intimately. “They resolve to open up their relationship in an effort to interact in sexual follies that can enable them to be taught extra about themselves… However it could possibly’t be that easy, proper?”

It isn’t as they battle to create a brand new connection whereas squaring mutual and household love and self-absorbing singular sexual want.

“The ‘Follies’ couple seeks to rediscover their want, every in their very own means however all the time being attentive to the opposite. Eric paints a humorous, shifting, and resolutely up to date household portrait,” Totem mentioned in a press release. 

A quick teaser captures that touching comedy as Julie tags alongside to a ironmongery shop the place François desires to purchase a series to additional his tentative new line in S&M. 

That rediscovery in some methods appears to be undoubtedly enrichening. 

“What’s your kind of follies?” asks the person in a fortunately swinging couple within the teaser. “Aaaaaah,” each François and Julie reply in tandem hesitantly, as a result of till this level they hadn’t actually considered that query in any respect. “Follies” charts their journey to self discovery. 

The teaser additionally anticipates one thing of the movie’s fashion: Unfussed in course, centered on character, and particularly François and Julie’s reactions as rookies in a out of the blue opening up world the place all people else appears a lot extra candid, assured and skilled.

“Follies” is produced by Québécois filmmakers’ cooperative Coop Vidéo de Montréal, “its mission to help movies that problem each kind and narrative,” it mentioned in a press release.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Totem Movies. With their eye for edgy, heartfelt cinema, they felt like the proper match for Éric Okay. Boulianne’s debut function. ‘Follies’ is an offbeat, bittersweet comedy that goals to convey slightly pleasure into the world,” Coop Vidéo de Montreal added. 

Boulianne additionally wrote, starred in and co-produced “Little Brother,” chosen for 2024 Cannes Critics’ Week.

At Locarno, Totem can also be dealing with gross sales for Worldwide Competitors title “Donkey Days,” from Rosanne Pel (“Gentle as Feathers”), described as a darkish household comedy. A 3rd Totem Locarno premiere is Filmmakers of the Current entry “Fantasy,” a rites of passage drama from Slovenia’s first-time function writer-director recognized by the moniker Kukla.