'Chasing Johnny' on the track of film festival honor
Factory closures and unemployment proved an inspiration for director Baptiste Debraux.
French film "Chasing Johnny," directed by Baptiste Debraux, had its international premiere at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival as it contests for the festival's top prize.
In the movie, Johnny, played by Pierre Lottin, is leader of the town Rochebrune's protest movement when he disappears after hijacking a van.
When Paul Ligre, played by Bastien Bouillon, hears the news, he returns to the town where he grew up, trying to find his childhood friend before the police do.
But Anna Werner's investigation inevitably leads her to the secret that ties Paul and Johnny together.
Debraux said he grew up in a small industrial city in France, where many factories closed during the 1980s, leading to widespread unemployment.
The experience profoundly influenced his desire to tell the stories of these people through film.
"When creating the character of Johnny, I used a first-person perspective to convey the struggles and desperation of the young people of that era," he said.
The film's French title, “Un Homme en Fuite,” translates to "A Man on the Run," while the English title is "Chasing Johnny."
Debraux said that the title has a dual meaning: it refers to Johnny, who escapes at the beginning of the film, and also to Paul, Johnny's friend.
Paul left the town but returns to search for Johnny, attempting to fill the gaps in his own life.
