‘French Dirty’ is an entrant in New Orleans Film Festival

Have you ever wanted to make a film?

Well, a family with roots in New Orleans got together to make a movie that has drawn national attention, and will compete in the New Orleans Film Festival this Saturday evening, Oct. 17.

French Dirty is a twisted romantic comedy that explores what happens when Vincent – an under achieving millennial – sleeps with his best friend’s girl. The story takes place over the course of a long day in Los Angeles. As Vincent prepares to come clean by sundown, he ruminates on the year leading up to the infidelity as well as his parent’s failed marriage.

Moreover, French Dirty serves as the debut film for brothers—Wade and Jesse Allain-Marcus, who had their hands in every aspect of the film’s creation, including writing, directing and starring.

And why wouldn’t they? It’s part of their DNA, after all. Their mother, Stephanie Allain, who is a producer of the film, has street cred in the industry, to say the least. She is credited with launching the careers of filmmakers John Singleton, Robert Rodriguez and Darnell Martin. In addition, some of her most notable works include, of course, Boyz n the Hood, Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan and most recently, Dear White People.

Of this latest project Ms. Allain says, “My first born, Wade Allain-Marcus was the force behind FD getting made. He and his writing partner, Peter K. Hagen wrote a very unconventional story incorporating literary chapters and very little dialog. Even though it wasn’t a traditional script, Wade convinced me to raise the money from family and friends and waited until his brother, Jesse, ten years younger, was home on winter break to shoot it.”

“They recruited their close friends as crew and cast my mother and me as Granny and Ma in the film – though we had no acting experience except for the many home movies they’d made growing up.”

“The film took over a year to shoot since Wade relied on Jesse’s eye behind the camera while he was in front. Jesse was at the time, a Wesleyan University freshman. Production revolved around school breaks: winter, spring and summer.

“The film has an un-usual structure. It takes place over the course of one day but flashes back to the previous year and then flashes way back to 25 years before the story takes place. The result is a deeply layered personal story – autobiographical fiction — that comments on the state of millennial relationships as well as the deep impact of divorce on the kids who survive it.”

When ‘French Dirty’ premiered at the LA Film Festival, Brandon Wilson, of indiewire.com described the movie as a “very Los Angeles version of the kind of French romantic drama made by Eric Rohmer, Francois Truffaut… The French New Wave was clearly a touchstone for the filmmakers.”

Bob Strauss of the Los Angeles Daily News said, “There’s personal filmmaking, and then there are movies that unfold with such seeming spontaneity and specific detail that they feel more like real life. Happening for the first time. Right in your face. ‘French Dirty.’ An East Hollywood walk-and-talk when it’s not a kind of performance art conversation piece, it’s a film as fresh and weird as a day without a plan that takes you places you never imagined were there.”

This 2015 New Orleans Film Festival entry premiers at 7:00 p.m. at The Prytania Theatre.

This article originally published in the October 12, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.