Mezzanine presents *No Fear No Die* (*S’en fout la mort*), directed by Claire Denis. 1990, France/Germany, 90m, DCP.

West Coast premiere of a new 4K restoration, courtesy of The Film Desk.

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Long unavailable in the U.S., the third feature from master French director Claire Denis (*Beau travail*) can now be widely recognized as a masterpiece: a visceral noir that intimately explores the effects of colonialism, belonging, and violence in the lives of two black immigrants from Benin and Martinique. Dah (Isaach de Bankolé) arrives in a Paris suburb with his business partner Jocelyn (Alex Descas), where they begin working for an illegal cockfighting enterprise run by shady entrepreneur Pierre (Jean-Claude Brialy) and his provocative restaurateur wife (Solveig Dommartin of *Wings of Desire*). As tensions rise, Dah witnesses the slow unraveling of Jocelyn’s psychological state, as he strives to maintain personal and professional focus. Hardboiled and tactile (shot expertly by Agnès Godard on a handheld 35mm camera) and inspired by the postcolonial writings of Frantz Fanon, *No Fear, No Die* submerges us in a tragic dance toward oblivion.

“\[Denis’s\] first masterwork… In *No Fear, No Die*, \[Denis’\] copious and nuanced observations, her aesthetic sensibility, and her analytical world view are unified. She films as if she is a part of the world she films, as do the best modern documentarians; her fiction, here, conveys a sense of immediate experience, a feeling of freedom.” -Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“Denis could be the strongest French filmmaker of the post-New Wave generation. She is certainly the greatest risk-taker — unafraid to eroticize her male actors, unleash outré violence, or subsume an elusive narrative in a fiercely lyrical force field. *No Fear, No Die*, made nearly a decade before *Beau Travail*, does all three.” -J. Hoberman, The New York Times

“*No Fear, No Die* fills a critical gap in Denis’ filmography as she begins to hone her style, striving towards the potent subtlety and hypnotic lyricism of her subsequent films.” - Lily Majteles, Screen Slate

Special thanks to Jake Perlin (The Film Desk).

This is an 18+ event

Presented by Mezzanine

Mezzanine: Claire Denis' NO FEAR NO DIE

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