Synopsis

Childhood friends Alex, JP, Pascal and Eric have been running a metal band, Dead Macabés for 15 years although without caring about what others think. As they turn in their 30s, all the members except for Alex have gradually lost their interest in the band. It is when conflicts between members deepen that Alex declares that the band is to join ‘Hellfest’, the dream stage for metal musicians. The chance to stand on the same stage with the best metal artist Dozzi Cooper was originally given to another band, but they will replace them. In the middle of the way to ‘Hellfest’, they encounter an unexpected situation because of excessive passion of Alex. They somehow are forced to play The Beatles, who they have looked down on, at a strawberry festival in a remote town. Upon the crisis of breaking up, will the band members cope with the problem and succeed to stand on the stage at ‘Hellfest’? Pop Redemption, the feature debut of Martin Le Gall, is an exciting film that delicately crosses between metal and pop, comedy and tragedy, and also past and present to show the passion of the protagonists into music. In this road movie about the journey to ‘Hellfest’, a heavy metal festival held in Nates, France, the director presents his excellent knowledge about music by pasquinading the prejudice about black metal, known as ‘satanic music’ to the public and inserting homage to The Beatles here and there. The lead actor Julien Dore playing Alex actually proves his talent in not only acting but also music by singing most of the sound tracks.

Director

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  • Martin Le Gall
  • Born in 1975 in Rouen, France, Martin Le Gall gained attention with his 2001 graduation film *Diva et Pianiste* from the 3IS film school. This helped him prepare projects with the Avalon film company. He released two short films: *Pompiers!* in 2003 and *Jogging Category* in 2009. In 2012, he made his feature debut with *Pop Redemption*. The idea for *Pop Redemption* came to him while riding the Eurostar between London and Paris, inspired by an advertisement poster he saw. The film’s music was composed by Franck Le Bon, a long-time collaborator with Le Gall from his short film days. Le Gall’s directing style is characterized by a focus on music and his ability to balance comedy and tragedy. His upcoming project is *Biguadne*.