After 30 years in politics, the Mayor of Lyon, Paul Théraneau (Fabrice Luchini), is in existential crisis – he’s devoid of energy as well as fresh ideas. Along comes a possible fix, a brainy young Oxford-educated philosopher Alice Heimann (Anaïs Demoustier). These two are diametrically opposed personalities, each of whom overturns the other’s fundamental convictions; the mayor’s strategies are stale while Alice believes leaders need abstract ideas that can be translated into campaign slogans. The dialogue and brainstorming sessions are laced with humour and suffused with all-consuming passion.
Both Luchini and Demoustier give brilliant performances as we struggle with the inevitable question, “are philosophy and political realities compatible?”.